Digimon Unlimited: Rise of the Demon Lords
by DOTMW
Summary: COMPLETE! When an ancient evil returns with a vengence with its sights set on the Power of the Crests, it'll take more than one team of Digi Destined to bring it down. 02/03 Xover TAIORA, RUKATO, TAKARI, KENYAKO, KOUMI
1. Prelude

Prelude

_Prelude_

_Woe to you, oh earth and sea_

_For the Devil sends the beast with wrath_

_Because he knows the time is short_

_Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast_

_For it is a human number _

_Its number is Six hundred and Sixty Six _

* * *

…_and Azulongmon foresaw the return of darkness to the land so he commanded his faithful servant to craft nine crests and bind them to nine human children. With the power of the Nine standing watch, the darkness was banished from the Digital World_

_But not all the DigiGod's company was pleased with the decision to place the faith of their world in the hands of humans. In particular, Lucemon the Light Bringer argued that humans were weak willed, inherently selfish and needlessly cruel. Azulongmon gently reprimanded the young angel and the humans were sent out of the reforming DigiWorld. _

_Four years later, Lucemon's prophecy came to pass as a human child, one of the Nine intended to guard the Digital World turned dark and sought to become Master of All. Once again Lucemon's cries to banish humans from the world completely fell on deaf ears as a new team was summoned. _

_Finally, Lucemon grew bitter with his master and with the help of six friends they chained the God down and took control for themselves. _

_But Lucemon's best friend, Seraphimon saw what his comrade had become and, while the seven conspirators slept, unchained Azulongmon. _

_Before Lucemon could react, Azulongmon flew into a rage and threw down his treacherous angel and his companions into the darkest recess of the Digital World. _

_Many years passed and when the day came to release the prisoners, they were gone. Terrified, Seraphimon scanned the heavens and Earth for days without sight of the Seven Traitors. Convinced that they had vanished, Azulongmon sealed off the sectors of the Digital World, assigning an omnipotent Sovereign to guard each one. The worlds shifted and divided and what was true in one world became fiction in the other. Myths of the Seven Demon Lords were spoken in Azulongmon's region to frighten the children before bedtime while the Digimon in __Zhuqiaomon's quadrant began to speak ill of a mountain that sat at the edge of oblivion…_

_Book of the Sovereigns, Book One, Chapter Five, Verse Four _

* * *

The crisp echo of stiletto heels on polished black granite were thunderous compared to the stark silence possessing the air. The quiet never sat well with Lilithmon; she was a Digimon who enjoyed a little noise now and again especially when it came from the tortured screams of her victims. Usually there was some kind of poor young thing who thought he could summit the "Forbidden Mountain" as the other silly little Digimon dubbed it. If he (or she; Lilithmon wasn't picky) was any good looking, Lilithmon would have a little fun with them first before tossing them to her pets for a midnight snack.

The Dark Angel took a moment to study her reflection in a huge, polished obsidian mirror. She brushed a lock of silky black hair out of her face, licking her ruby lips before adjusting her emerald green and black dress. _Sinfully _good looking, she thought to herself with a small giggle. That was a good one…

A soft chuckle broke her musings as she turned around to come face to face with the master of the castle, a golden haired, eight winged demon. Lucemon could have been mistaken for angelic by those who didn't know what a rotten devil he really was.

"_Sinfully _good looking…" he said his impeccably smooth voice gliding like a silk scarf over her ears. "I'll have to remember that one."

Lilithmon rolled her eyes. "Lucemon, how many times must I tell you _never read my thoughts?!" _Lilithmon said, trying to be annoyed.

The fallen angel raised his hands in defense. "I usually don't; you have quite a dirty mind, even for my taste" Lucemon politely offered an arm which Lilithmon took as they walked down the hall in affable silence.

"So what brings you to my castle, Lilithmon?" Lucemon asked, finally breaking the silence. "I trust you have good news regarding our little operation?"

"The best kind of news." She said, confidently. "Barbamon was successful in his stage of the mission."

Lucemon let out a sigh of relief. "And our new friend? How is he doing?"

Lilithmon's nose wrinkled. "He's still a frail little thing. That last fight he was in really did a number on him. He can't walk, can't fight, and can't even eat without someone feeding him." Lilithmon turned to stand in front of Lucemon. "Why don't we just dump him? He's given us a way back into the 2nd quadrant and told us how to get into the human world. He's deadweight; let's cut him!" she cackled, flourishing one of her long, bladelike nails for effect.

Lucemon shook his head. "Since Beelzemon turned traitor for those wretched _humans," _Lucemon said the word with more contempt than Lilithmon thought possible. "We're short a Demon Lord. Only the combined power of the Seven can rule without fear of challenge. Plus he is somewhat, ah, _familiar _with our targets in the human world. He will be a valuable asset in ascertaining their weaknesses."

"If only to learn from his mistakes!" The fallen angels shared a laugh. "But seriously, Lucemon, what about the humans?"

"Our humans?"

"Yes…those who pretend to have dominion over Digimon, what of them?"

"Surely you don't consider those wannabe DigiDestined a threat?"

"Scoff all you want but they defeated the most dangerous program in existence when they were _twelve_." Lilithmon's eyes narrowed. "They've had four whole years to become a deadly nuisance and the only reason they haven't done anything is because _they don't know what we're doing._.."

Lucemon studied his nails carefully before responding. "Once the Nine are gone and the power of Azulongmon belongs to us, we will come back and finish our little Digi-Fans."

"But if they follow? This "Rift" is causing a huge disturbance in the Digital World! Their computers must have detected it!"

Lucemon looked away. "It doesn't matter…even if they were to follow us…" Lucemon steadied his jaw. "It doesn't matter. They won't be able to get to us before we get to the Nine… and even if they do, we'll just have to finish them off, once and for all. Happy, now?" Lucemon paused for a moment as Lilithmon reluctantly nodded. "Good. Begin moving troops through the Rift. I want to have full control of the city by nightfall."

Lilithmon started in shock. "A-Already?"

Lucemon looked back coldly. "Yes, haven't you heard?" Lucemon produced a small white envelope from his coat pocket with "YOU'RE INVITED!" imprinted on the front in gold lettering. He turned it over thoughtfully before speaking again. "We have a party to attend…and the birthday girl is going to be ever so disappointed if we're late…"

_DIGIMON UNLIMITED_

_RISE OF THE DEMON LORDS_

_AN: Cue the bad theme music!_

_Di-Di-Di_

_Digimon!_

_Digital Monsters!_

_Digimon are the champions! _

_Digimon!_

_Digital Monsters!_

_Digimon are the champions! _

_Change_

_Into Digital Champions _

_To_

_Save the Digital (World) _

_Digimon!_

_Digital Monsters!_

_Digimon are the champions! _

_Digimon!_

_Digital Monsters!_

_Digimon are the champions_

_Digivolve into champions _

_(All at once)_

_Digivolve into Ultimates_

_Armor Digivolve!_

_Digi-Modify!_

…_Proof that some things aren't meant to be translated…_

_I own no Digimon and technically I'm not making money off this fic. (I am at work while I write but that's a technicality…so don't tell!) The main ships in this fic will be Taiora since I feel I need to right the travesty that was the 02 series finale (Sorry Sorato Fans! I'll have none of your random ship in MY fics!). Other pairings will include (in order of prevalence) Rikato, Takari, Kenli and Koumi _


	2. Birthday Blues

Chapter One: Birthday Blues

_Chapter One: Birthday Blues _

The crisp autumn wind picked up a pile of freshly strewn leaves, kicking them up and throwing them into the air in a hailstorm of red and gold confetti. A rouge maple leaf caught an updraft, spinning wildly in the air, dancing in the cool afternoon sun before coming to rest in a nest of spiky, brown hair.

Eighteen year old Tai Kamiya brushed the offending piece of foliage out of his hair, grinding the little grey-green leaf between his fingers before scattering the crumbs to the winds. He sighed, leaning back slightly on the decorated park bench looking around the park like he was expecting someone (which coincidentally he was).

Checking his watch for the thirteenth time that hour he grumbled to himself as he wondered where his friends were. Digging his hand into his coat pocket, he produced one of the white envelopes, embroidered with the words "YOU'RE INVITED!" on the front. He knew what it said; hell, he was the one who wrote it. But just to be sure, he gingerly pried the envelope open and scanned the contents at the card.

_**You're invited to Sora's Eighteenth Birthday! **_

**_Where: Shiokaze Park _**(1)

_**When: July 6**__**th**__**, 2006 6:00-9:00**_

_**It's a surprise, so don't tell Sora! **_

_**Or Else! **_

Tai slid the card back in the envelope, sighing to himself as he sat back to admire his handiwork. The gang's normal hangout was decorated in full party regalia, tables decorated, lanterns hung and balloons and streamers hanging from the trees. Tai had single handedly transformed the Digi Destined's local hangout into the perfect party spot. Well…almost single handedly.

"Tai! Help!" an anguished cry came from under one of the tables. Smiling to himself, Tai ducked under the picnic table. Agumon had tangled himself in a set of party lights and was currently fighting to free his trapped jaw.

"Mhm hmm!" He tried to say, waving his claws in distress.

Tai couldn't help but laugh. "I have to say, I like that look on you…"

Agumon narrowed his eyes and fixed his partner with a look usually reserved for evil Digimon. "Shm um nhm hpm mu!"

"Okay, okay! Keep your shirt on…" Tai said, untangling the mess his partner had made.

Agumon flexed his jaw experimentally. "But Tai! I don't wear shirts…"

"I know, it's just…never mind." Tai said, connecting Agumon's former manacles to the power strip and attaching them to the top of the gazebo. With a flick of the switch, the string illuminated, casting light on a park slowly being consumed by shadows.

"Wow, Tai." Agumon said, looking around at his partner's handiwork. "You've really outdone yourself this time"

Tai took a step back to stand beside his partner. "You think so?"

"Uh-Huh!" Agumon said, enthusiastically. "Sora's going to love this!"

Tai sighed softly. "I hope so…" he said more to himself than Agumon. Reaching into his coat pocket, he lightly thumbed the box that contained the necklace he bought for her. It was nothing fancy, just a simple silver chain with a replica of the Crest of Love tag in ruby, Sora's birthstone. He had already run it by Matt and he seemed to be fine with it (borderline apathetic, now that Tai thought of it).

Tai withdrew his hand from his coat and smiled at his finished masterpiece. Tai had been the master of making Sora happy over the past four years without her even noticing it. At first he thought what he had for her was a passing infatuation but as the seasons passed and the girls came and went, he still felt like he was on fire whenever Sora smiled at him.

He sighed in defeat. He was in love with her. He was in love with his best friend _and _his friend's girlfriend at the same time.

"How messed up is that?" Tai mumbled to himself

So he resolved to be there as much as he could for her, even if he couldn't be with her. He remembered all those nights when she called, crying after a fight with Matt; when it would have been so easy to win her over. But for some reason he always pushed them back together. For four years, for reasons he was unaware of, he had kept the love of his life with his best friend, just to keep her happy.

Now any hope of a relationship was disappearing. Matt had mentioned that he needed to talk to Sora about "something important" which Tai translated as "Hey! I'm going to marry the love of your life and there's nothing you can do about it! M'kay bye-bye now!"

_Stop it! _He angrily told himself. He should be happy for them. After all, this is what Sora wanted. He would just have to grin and bear it. He would just have to sit in the church with everybody else, preferably pissed as all hell so he wouldn't say anything stupid and then sip free bubbly afterwards at the reception. Unless…

Tai felt his knees go weak and he had to catch the table to keep himself from sinking down as a cold, clammy feeling claimed his stomach. _What if he asks me to be his Best Man? _The enormity of what was happening crashed down on the formal gogglehead and he fought to steady his breath._ Would he really do that to him? Would Matt ask Tai to stand across from Sora while he married her?_ _What if I can't control myself when the priest asks for objections? What do we even do if that happens?! Is it just a formality or does he genuinely want to know?! Oh God… _

Tai's further musings were cut short by the arrival of a lime green compact. Tai did the best he could to pull himself together as he went to greet the first of the guests.

* * *

Tai took a sip out of his drink as he surveyed the party already in full swing. It was still a few minutes before Sora was supposed to show up with Matt but everyone was already there, waiting for their cue to hide.

Making their way through the crowd, his sister dragged T.K on to the dance floor. It had taken nearly four years of skirting around how they both felt but they finally got together one Christmas Eve. Tai smirked as he remembered a simple peck under the mistletoe carry on a little longer than necessary. When each finally realized that they had just snogged their best friend (snogged was the only word for it) they shyly disappeared into the crowd only to reappear holding hands and beaming. Now hardly a moment could be found where they were apart for very long. Tai would often get up in the middle of the night and see Kari texting under her sheets. Anyone could guess who was on the receiving end of said note.

Over by the punch table, Ken and Yolei sat, hands linked and talking quietly. Every now and then they would sneak a kiss and then blush furiously for fifty seconds. While they weren't the overly affectionate couple that T.K and Kari were (truth be told, they were still a little shy around each other) but there was just a _rightness _about them being together. They simultaneously reminded Tai of an old married couple who was just passing their fiftieth anniversary mark and a very young couple that still didn't know what the hell they were doing. It was a beautiful paradox that seemed to define them perfectly.

Over in the "What the Hell Happened There?" category were the reigning champions of that genre, Mimi and Izzy. If someone had told Tai that he would one day walk in on the computer whiz and the beauty queen making out on Joe's couch, he would have nodded, smiled and then called Mental Health on them. But there they were, chatting up Joe about his plans to finish medical school and trying not to look like they were too out of place. There was a certain balance to their relationship: Izzy had finally lightened up a little and Mimi had definitely calmed down a lot.

Tai looked around at all of his dearest friends, most of them snuggled up against a significant other and once again Tai felt a familiar twinge of jealousy as once again he felt the well-known feeling of wishing he had someone to hold…specifically a certain auburn haired digi-destined. But the shred of a dream he had feebly clung to for the last four years was about to go down in flames when Sora arrived with Matt, tears in her eyes and flashing a rock the size of Saturn…

Speaking of Sora, she should have been there by now. Tai checked his watch; six thirty. Tai frowned slightly. Matt and he had hooked up a week ago to plan this whole thing out and he specifically told Matt to bring her at six (Although…he had seemed a little distant and uninterested in the birthday planning.)

Tai quickly hit Matt's number and waited for his annoying ringback tone to finish. There was the sound of drums and guitar dying down as Matt's voice told everyone to "shut the goddamn music off" as he answered the phone.

"This is Matt." He said shortly.

"Hey Matt, It's-"

"Yeah I know, Tai. Caller ID is a wonderful thing now what do you want, Kamiya?"

Tai balked slightly. Across the park he caught Kari's eye. Kari whispered something to T.K and they started to move towards Tai.

"Um…well, it's six thirty and…" he trailed off, hoping Matt would catch on.

"And so you can tell time; what's the point, Taichi?" Matt growled as one of his band mates yelled at him to "call the mother f'er back later"

Tai looked up into T.K's eyes for some kind of validation but the blonde just shook his head in confusion.

"_AND," _Tai blurted out. "I was wondering when you and Sora were going to stop by, _Yamato!_" Two could play the full name game.

"Oh…" Matt trailed off. "Yeah she should be heading over there pretty soon…" Matt sounded pretty dodgy.

"What do you mean; aren't you coming?" T.K's eyes darkened as he shared a look with Kari.

"I thought I told you…I left a message…I thought you knew…"

"Knew what, Ishida?" Kari gripped T.K's arm. Tai's voice had gone very soft and that only happened when he was trying to be smooth with a girl or when he was very, _very _angry. Right now, it didn't sound like Tai want to grab a cup of coffee and catch a flick.

"I…we…that is to say…we got this deal…"

"Oh my God…" T.K said, aghast. "That was _today?!_"

"What? What's up T.K?" Kari asked

"Matt mentioned that the Teenage Wolves were playing for some big shot record producer in Tokyo but I didn't think it was going to be today…"

"So let me get this straight…" Tai said, his quiet voice back. "We throw a huge birthday party for Sora, our oldest friend and _your girlfriend_ and you decide to skip out on her to try and get this _stinking band _off the ground? Am I with you so far?"

"Look, Sora was fine with it, I don't know what you're problem is…"

"Oh Really?" Tai asked, voice going all high and squeaky, another Angry Tai trait. "Cause skipping out on her birthday to play with a band doesn't seem like something Sora would be _fine_ with."

Matt sighed. "Look, it's a little more complicated than that."

"So where is she?"

"I'm sure she's fine. She's probably on her way right now…"

* * *

_Sniff. _

_Sniff. _

_Sniff. _

Sora gently wiped her nose with a rouge tissue she had found in her purse, using the unused end to dab at her red, teary eyes as she stared out over the city from her spot on a rusty, wooden bench. She would often come here when she needed to think or just wanted to be alone.

"C'mon, Sora…" Biyomon said gently touching her friend's shaking arm. "It's alright…"

"No, Biyomon, it's not." Sora said, a little harshly.

"I think you misunderstood him, that's all." Biyomon said, fidgeting with her feathers.

"Really?" Sora half sobbed at her partner. "You think?" he voice dripping with sarcasm as she dug out the crumpled, half shredded note from Matt and proceeded to read it aloud.

_Sora,_

_We've had some great times in the past but with the band taking off, I really need some space right now. I'm just not ready for such a committed relationship. I need to be able to really take off and fly and I can't do that with you waiting at home for me. I hope someday we can be friends._

_Matt_

"Someday…yeah right." Sora whispered to herself. "When hell freezes over and demons spew out of holes in the ground." She sniffed, fighting back another onset of tears. "Happy Birthday to me…"

Sora looked down to see Biyomon settling in her lap. "Don't worry about Matt. Everything happens for a reason."

Sora sighed. "And what reason is that, Biyomon?"

The pink little bird giggled. "Because you're meant to be with someone else, silly!"

Sora shook her head lightly. "Or no one else…"

Biyomon gasped. "Sora! Don't say that!"

"But maybe it's true," she said, absently touching her chest where the Crest of Love used to hang. "I mean…my one and only boyfriend breaks up with me on my birthday, over a letter to play in a band that's doomed." Sora swiped her hand across her eyes "What does that say about me?"

Sora felt a soft brush as Biyomon used her feathers to brush away a stray tear. "Don't think like that, Sora." Sora gripped her friends wing softly.

"Thanks…" As they stood up to leave, Biyomon suddenly felt dizzy as if someone had spun her around in a blender then spat her out on the ground. Biyomon stumbled for a moment, shaking her head as the feeling slowly passed.

"Bi?" Sora asked, using her friend's pet name. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…just stood up too quickly, that's all." Biyomon said, shaking her head again.

"C'mon…" Sora sighed, dejectedly. "Let's just go home…"

* * *

"Okay…okay…fine…oh, and by the way, there was one more thing I wanted to say…what was it…oh yeah… YOU GUYS SUCK! Yeah, that's right! You're last album sounded like Primus puked all over Nirvana, then had a bastard child with Creed! Yeah? OH YEAH?! BITE ME, WOLF BOY!!"

Tai angrily hung up on Matt only to realize the whole party was now staring at him.

"Soo…" Davis started, cheekily. "How did it go?"

Tai fished his car keys out of his pocket. "Sora's going to be a little late. I'm going to pick her up."

"Where is she?" Kari asked, concern etched across her face.

"Not sure, but I'll be able to find her with my Digivice," he said, looking down at the screen. Izzy had long since coordinated all the original eight digivices to be able to find each other in the real world. Tai flipped open the GPS tracker only to have his heart plummet.

There were only six blips on the screen. Not counting his own, there were only seven digivices online. Tai tapped the screen with his finger, shaking it up and down, hoping there was some kind of mistake. There was Matt…Izzy, Mimi, Joe, T.K and Kari were behind him. So where was Sora?

"What's wrong, Tai?" Mimi asked, gently taking his digivice from him.

"It's Sora…something's wrong, her digivice isn't online…I can't find her." Tai's voice had gone soft and squeaky. Kari knew him long enough to know that her big brother was very, _very_ scared.

"Are you sure it's broken?" Mimi asked, popping the back panel off. "Your discretion filter may be a little off. If you switch the input jacks around and run the belt scanner in reverse, you might be able to…" Mimi looked up to see everyone staring at her like she had just spewed a live lobster out of her mouth.

"Mimi?" Kari asked. "Is that you?"

Mimi blushed as Tai was about to storm off. "We need to find her before something bad happens. I have a feeling there's something Matt's not telling me."

Davis stood up. "Alright, we'll split up. Me and Kari…"

"No." Kari said.

Davis sighed. "Worth a shot." Davis smirked at the two of them. He had actually gotten over Kari a long time ago, but it was still fun to wind them up like that. "Okay, me, Kari and T.K will take the waterfront. Cody, Ken, Yolei: the side streets are yours."

"I'll take Izzy, Mimi and Joe and take Downtown." Tai said, looking around. "Everybody meet up at the subway station in one hour. Call _me _if you find Sora."

"Um, Tai, this may sound presumptuous, but…" Izzy trailed off.

"But?" Tai egged the egghead on.

"Should't we get Matt in on this? I mean, after all…"

"If Matt cared that much, he'd be here." Tai said, darkly. "Okay, let's head out!"

/

* * *

Thirty minutes later, T.K and Davis were sitting on the docks skipping rocks into the water while Kari rested her head against T.K's and the Digimon played tag behind them.

"Nothing." Davis sighed in defeat. "Not one trace of her anywhere!"

"Not even Biyomon." Gatomon said thoughtfully. "It's the middle of summer and she usually molts like crazy. We should have found a feather by now." A dense mist was beginning to roll in over the waterfront, blurring the shapes of the buildings on the opposite shore. Kari shivered, pulling closer to T.K.

Davis stood, stretching as he did so. "Well, let's head over to the train station. With any luck-"

"AHHHHHH!" Kari screamed as she clutched her head. T.K panicked, pulling her in to look at her.

"KARI! What is it? What's wrong?" he said, fear in his voice.

"I-I-I don't know." Kari said through teeth clenched with pain. "Something's coming. Something bad…AHHH!" She screamed again in pure agony as the mist gathered around them.

"This is bad…this is bad." T.K mumbled, trying to comfort a sobbing Kari.

"Let's go, T.K" Davis said, tugging at the back of his shirt. T.K just stared into the boiling mist as it drew in, tighter and tighter and tighter.

"MOVE IT, TAKERU!" Davis said, snapping T.K out of his thoughts and pulling him to his feet, a sobbing Kari still in his arms, clutching her head. The Digimon ran ahead of them as the fog began to close in faster and faster. By now it was more like steam than any fog, hot and oppressive. T.K's t-shirt began to stick to his chest as the three humans and three Digimon tore through the city. All around them, people were sticking their heads out of windows, stopping their cars and generally looking around at the mist, puzzled expressions on their faces.

Then the screaming started. Sweat was burning T.K's eyes so he couldn't see exactly what was happening but the people who were looking around were suddenly ducking, falling and being carried away by strange winged creatures.

"What are they?" Davis asked, goggles down and everything.

"Digimon, but I can't get a good look at them…" he saw a wing here, a claw there and a twisted face occasionally poking through the mist.

"IN HERE!" T.K looked up to see a disheveled Tai beckoning them in a hollowed out building cellar. T.K and Davis sprinted for the door, Digimon behind them. As Tai and Izzy heaved the door shut, a stark white, subhuman face lunged from the vapor only to slam into the heavy metal door as Tai and Izzy bolted it shut

"MOVE!" T.K turned to see Digmon coming up behind. "TAKE SOME COVER!" Digmon slammed his drills into the side of the tunnel opening "Gold Rush!" There was a distant rumbling as Digmon fled back into the tunnel as the entrance collapsed sealing the monsters out…or the Digi Destined in…

* * *

_AN: Okay, these are the first two chapters in what I want to be a very quick fic (no more than 13 chapters and an epilogue. Let me know what you guys think so R&R!_


	3. Crossroads

_Chapter Two: Crossroads _

"What's going on here?"

"I can't see a thing!"

"Who turned out the lights?"

"What the hell were those things?"

"T.K, what's wrong with Kari?"

"Who said that? Where is everybody?"

"Someone's pulling on my hair!"

"YEOW!! Who stepped on my tail?"

"Sorry, Gatomon…"

"Where's Sora? Did you find her?"

"QUIET!"

"Who said that? Is that you, Davis?"

"I think I broke something….I can't move my arm…"

"Where are you, Cody? I have some bandages in my bag."

"Oh, I've had enough of this! Pepper Breath!"

There was a flash of light as a pile of garbage suddenly caught fire. Tai blinked as the sudden light illuminated the tunnel. The Digimon were all passed out, sleeping in little groups wherever there was a spare space on the ground. Everyone was soaked with sweat from the boiling mist and most of them had already stripped down to their undershirts in a feeble effort to beat the heat. Yolei was tenderly dabbing a nasty cut on Ken's forehead while Joe patched up a very shaken Cody, fixing his arm in a sling. Mimi's head rested on Izzy's shoulder as he tried to get his laptop operational. Behind him, T.K had laid his jacket behind Kari's still aching head. His usually innocent expression was wrinkled in concern as he rubbed Kari's tense, knotted shoulders.

"What's wrong with her, T.K?" Tai whispered, gently lifting a lock of hair away from his sister's cold, clammy forehead

T.K ran a hand across his forehead, wiping the sweat away from his troubled gaze. 'I-I don't know I mean one minute she was fine and then she was grabbing her head and crying and I didn't know what was wrong and I _tried _Tai, I really did but she just kept crying and…and…I didn't know what to do and-" Tai laid a hand on his young friend's shaking shoulder.

"Its okay, T.K." Tai said, trying to reassure him. "I'll have Joe look at her as soon as she comes around." T.K took a deep breath, swiping his eyes with the back of his hand before nodding. He turned back to Kari, laying a hand on hers and gave it a light squeeze.

Tai ran a hand through his hair, wiping his hands against his jeans to dry them. He knew that Kari would be in good hands with T.K; he had bigger things to worry about. Picking his way through the weary and wounded Digidestined and Digimon, he stumbled upon the bearer of Knowledge, trying to get his shattered laptop back online.

"How're you doing?" Tai asked, taking a seat beside Mimi leaning over the cracked screen.

"Well…" Izzy said after a moment of silence. "I'm up and running but I can't get any word through. I still need to get the perception filter back online if we have any hope of punching through to-"

Tai shook his head. "I didn't ask how the computer was doing; how are you two holding up?"

Izzy stopped for a second before Mimi grabbed his hand. "We're holding up." She said. "We were pretty close when the fog came in so we got here as soon as we could." Mimi glanced sadly at Palmon and Tentomon who were currently napping behind them on a pile of old blankets. "Palmon and Tentomon kept them away long enough for us to run over here. Where are we, anyway?" she asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"It's an old subway tunnel that's been out of commission for a while, now. Me and Sora used to come down here all the time when we were younger." Tai looked around the mangy old tunnel dripping with fluids and stinking of mold with a look of fondness. "I guess you could call this place our hideout. It used to be inhabited by bums until the city scared hem off and sealed he tunnel. The best part about this place is that most people think it's totally isolated apart from the door we came through."

Izzy paled slightly, shooting a glance at the pile of rubble that covered the entrance. "So we're trapped in here?"

Tai winked at him, flashing his famous cocky grin. "_Most _people think it's isolated." Tai pointed down one of the side tunnels. "Down there is a ladder that leads up to a trapdoor that leads into the basement of a mini-mart." Tai smiled to himself and for a moment his eyes glazed over as if he was suddenly remembering exactly what that trapdoor was used for.

Mimi sighed in relief. "So what are we waiting for? Let's get a move on."

Tai snapped out of his daydream and shook his head. "We don't know what's going on out there. People are getting snatched off the streets by seemingly evil Digimon so until we know exactly what we're up against, we should stay put. Besides, we're in no condition to travel; half of us are wounded, the other half is exhausted and Kari's still sick with God knows what."

Izzy nodded. "Alright. We'll stay here for a bit and I'll try to see exactly what we're dealing with here."

* * *

T.K dabbed Kari's feverish forehead with a torn bit of his T-shirt and some cool water he had from a bottle. Wiping the sweat away, Kari seemed to relax as she rolled over on her side and now it seemed that she was only sleeping. He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead before quietly standing up and tiptoeing away.

T.K pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed Matt's number. He hadn't heard from his brother since the party and he was beginning to worry about him. Normally, if something bad was happening, Matt was always the first to get a hold of T.K to confirm that he was alright. But it had been nearly two hours since the mist descended on the city and T.K still hadn't heard from his older brother.

"_Hey this is Matt Ishida. Leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you ASAP. Ciao, baby!" BEEP!_

"Matt, it's T.K. I don't know what's going on out there but we need you here right now. Sora's still missing, Kari passed out a few hours ago and something in that mist is attacking whoever sets foot outside." T.K sighed as he rested his head against the cool brick wall. "If you get this message come to the 43rd Street abandoned sub station. Let me know if you're alright or even-"

_BEEP_!

T.K growled in frustration, jamming his phone back into his pocket and shuffling over to where the conscious Digidestined were huddled around Agumon's garbage fire.

"We were in the middle of talking to the cops to see if they had seen Sora when they came at us…" Cody said quietly, shooting a glance at Ken and Yolei. "The cops were trying to shoot them down but as soon as the mist got to them, those _things _grabbed them."

"We tried to do something but our Digimon didn't have time to Digivolve…" Ken muttered. "We tried to swat a few of them down but they were just too fast."

"Did anyone get a good look at them?" Yolei asked, looking at her friends for answers. "I thought I saw a tail but I wasn't sure."

"I thought I saw a red claw…" Davis said.

"Really? Their arms were striped." Ken mentioned

"They could definitely fly." Izzy said

"I saw horns, like ram horns." Mimi whispered

"When they landed, they made a clip-clop sound." Joe added. "They must've had hooves."

Between the eight of them, they managed to gather that whatever was attacking was a beast a little taller than a human with claws, hooves, horns, a tail and wings. They shared a chill when they realize what they were describing.

"Sounds like…" Mimi trailed off.

"Like what?" Izzy pressed, looking at her intently.

Mimi took a deep breath. "Well…it sounds like these creatures are like some kind of…I don't know…demon or something."

A collective shudder passed through the group as they shared a fearful glance. "Are we even sure that they're Digimon?" Ken asked quietly. "Maybe they are like the devil or something."

Tai was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "I think that they're just a group of Digimon."

"How do you know?" Joe asked, straightening his glasses, nervously. "Look it over, Tai: red claws, horns, a tail cloven hooves and wings? What does that sound like to you?"

"Remember what Gennai said?" T.K asked. When no one seemed to catch on, he pressed on. "The Digital World is just a reflection of _our _world. Most things in this world have a digital counterpart."

"Like Centaurimon and Leomon…" Izzy said. "The Digi-World mapped out own world bit for bit, even if the bits were mythical."

"Like Angemon and Angewomon." T.K nodded. "So if our view of angels got translated into data…"

"Our view of demons did as well." Tai surmised. "We're dealing with a group of Digimon who just _look _like the Devil but are just as solid and mortal as we are."

The flames flickered as there was a collective sigh of relief. "At least we're not dealing with the end of the world or something…" Davis sighed.

Ken shook his head. "It still may be unless we find a way to stop them. We still haven't come up with a plan."

"You guys are going to stay here with Cody and Kari until they get better." Everybody looked up to see Tai staring into the fire, chewing his lip thoughtfully. "I'm going to take Agumon and look for Sora and Biyomon."

Everyone stared at their leader in silence for a moment, soaking in what he had just said. Then Mimi shook her head furiously. "Absolutely not."

"No, listen-"

"No, _you _listen, Tai." T.K said, fixing Tai with a burning look. Tai looked up at T.K, startled by his tone "I know you're worried about Sora but you can't just run off after her. Those…_things _are wreaking havoc all over the city and there's not a damn thing you or Agumon can do about it."

"But I can't just-"Tai started.

"Tai, you and Agumon are going to get wiped out and then what?" Tai avoided the blonde's burning gaze. "What good are you to Sora if you're dead? How do you expect me to tell Kari that her big brother got himself killed while she was asleep?" T.K took a deep, shuddering breath. "You're staying here…" he said quietly.

Everyone was silent for a moment, just staring into the flickering light. Then, all of a sudden, T.K's cell phone went off. Everybody snapped their head up as T.K scrambled to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"T.K?" a hoarse, trembling voice came over the other line.

T.K gasped in relief. "Matt…are you okay?" Tai and the other looked up suddenly.

The voice on the other end gasped. "I'm fine what about you?"

"Just dandy. Except for the fact that we're crouching in a dripping rat hole with no idea what's going on out there?" T.K took a breath. "You?"

"I'm holed up in a coffee shop by the harbor." Matt said. "Garurumon couldn't digivolve at first-"

"I know, this mist is doing something to our Digimon as well…wait, what do you mean, at first?"

"He shook it off. That's how these things operate; they swoop in before you could do anything and…well, you know. I've been in contact with Noriko and the other Tokyo Digidestined and they're trying to figure out who's behind this."

"Behind this?"

Matt cleared his throat. "You think these Digimon are acting on their own? This…mist, if that's what it is, isn't the product of a random gaggle of run of the mill viruses. Something incredibly, powerful is manipulating this energy and these Digimon. Something incredibly evil. If we want to lift this fog, we need to cut it at the source and that means taking out whoever's calling the shots."

"Okay, okay. So what are we looking for?" T.K asked. He looked up at Tai who was mouthing something indistinguishable to him.

"I'll let you know when I find it." As he listened to his brother T.K still couldn't make out what Tai was trying to say to him. Then all it once it hit him.

"Sora!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Matt, did you find Sora?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. "…She…she isn't with you?"

Silence. T.K looked up at Tai. One look told him that his worst fears have been confirmed.

"We thought she was with you." T.K said as Tai slid down against the wall, dropping his head into his hands.

"I didn't run into her…" T.K could tell by his brother's tone that there was something Matt wasn't telling him. Due to the fact that lies aren't exactly the building blocks of friendship, Matt would never lie to a friend but he had a funny way of conveniently leaving the truth out.

"Matt. What's wrong?"

"Listen, T.K, now's not the greatest time…."

"Matt…"

"We'll talk later, I promise."

"Okay, Matt. Take care of yourself."

"You too, little bro." Matt said. Someone in the background said something. "I got to go. They're scanning the city and we think that our cell phones may be giving us away. I think-"

_BEEP_

The voice in his ear died and T.K looked at the screen to find that he had lost all reception.

"My phone's dead." T.K growled, hurling the useless piece of machinery against the wall in frustration."

"Mine too." Ken said.

"Same here." Joe mentioned

"I lost my internet connection." Izzy mumbled darkly. "They must have cut the phone lines."

"That's it," Tai said, standing up. "Come on, Agumon, let's go." he said, gently rousing his sleeping partner.

"_Yawn…_where are we going, Tai?" Agumon asked, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"We're going to find Matt and Sora and bring them back here." Tai said, voice trembling with sudden emotion. Angrily wiping his eyes, Tai started off, only to feel a firm grip on his wrist holding him back.

"Let go, Izzy." Tai said quietly.

"Tai, just stop for a second and think about what you're doing…" Izzy said, calmly.

"I said, let go of my arm, Izzy…" Tai growled through clenched teeth. Tentomon and Agumon were cowering behind their human's legs, wondering if they should get involved

"You're putting yourself and Agumon in danger, Tai!"

"Drop it, _Izzy…_"

"Tai, Matt and Sora are our friends too. I know exactly how you feel…"

"NO!" In the force of Tai's outburst Izzy nearly dropped his grip. Tai angrily faced Izzy, brown eyes burning with passion and shining with unshed tears. "You don't know how I feel, Izzy so don't pretend that you do." Tai felt everyone's gaze burning into his back but he went on. "My best friend is out there alone in a swarm of vicious, killer Digimon and every second that I waste talking to you is another second she gets closer to getting snatched off the street and carted off to God knows where." Tai swallowed painfully. "What would you do if Mimi was in Sora's shoes, huh? What if she and Palmon were wandering alone through a choking black mist?"

"Okay, that's enough…" Izzy said, biting his lip and looking down.

"What if you didn't know if she was even alive?" Tai pressed on.

"Stop it…"

"What if every time you heard a scream outside your stomach plummeted because you thought it might be her?"

"STOP IT!!" The cave echoed with Izzy's anguished cry. Tai looked back at his friend to see him breathing heavily, eyes red. The two boys stared at each other for the longest time before a look of understanding crossed the young genius's face.

"Oh my God…" he breathed, looking at Tai like he had never looked at him properly before.

"Let go, Izzy."

Izzy stared at Tai for another moment or so before dropping his arm and backing away from him slowly.

"Come on, Agumon." Tai said. Agumon shot a hesitant look at his partner before scampering off after him.

"Tai, come back-" T.K's call was cut off by Izzy's hand on his shoulder.

"Let him go T.K"

"But…" He shot a glance at a sleeping Kari.

"Trust me; being between him and Sora is not a safe place to stand." T.K just nodded and went back to sit by Kari

"Izzy?" Izzy looked up at Mimi who was staring after Tai as he disappeared down the tunnel. "Why did you let him go?"

Izzy gently took her hand, lightly running a thumb over her knuckles. "Because if it were you out there instead of Sora, Tai would be the one holding _me _back."

Mimi looked at him with a watery smile. Then a sudden look of realization hit her. Izzy just nodded.

Mimi smiled to herself, shaking her head. "Stupid Tai…"

* * *

The mist was so thick that Tai could barely see out of the sliding glass door. The screaming had stopped and the streets were as quiet and as empty as a looted tomb.

Tai swallowed nervously. "Ready, Agumon?" His partner nodded. "We're going to make a break for that alleyway and then figure out what we're going to do from there." Tai looked around once more. There were no gliding shapes in the mist. All was deathly still.

"On three…Three…two…one…Go!"

Tai was barely out the door before he was flat on his back, clutching his chest in pain. Beside him, Agumon was struggling to stand after it felt like a car slammed into him. Looking around, there was nothing in sight. Whatever hit him had gone as quickly as it had come. Struggling to stand up, he was struck again, body spun sideways and landed face down in a puddle of murky water.

"Tai…" Agumon called weakly. He sat up, groaning. "Agumon…digivolve…to…"

_SLAM_

Agumon spun around as he was struck again. Groaning in pain, Tai crawled his way over where Agumon was trying to stand. Then, he saw it. As the mist was disrupted by the wind, a long, pallid face emerged, attached to a powerful humanoid body and a strong looking set of wings. Crimson claw outstretched, it moved to end their lives.

Tai threw himself in front of Agumon. This was it. This was how it was going to end. If he had just listened to Izzy, he wouldn't even be here.

_Sora…Kari…I'm sorry…_

The beast was getting closer. Tai could feel it's hot breath on his face as the massive jaws opened, ready to swallow him whole. Tai shut his eyes and waited for the beast to bite…

"Diamond Storm!"

Tai opened one eye to see his assailant howling in agony as shards of tiny crystals ripped through his body. Glaring at Tai and Agumon as a cat might have glared at a mouse who had gotten away. It turned tail and flew off into the mist.

Before Tai could turn around something grabbed him and Agumon around the waist and carried them off; something strong, warm and…furry?

Before Tai could register what was happening, he was being carted through the air as a pair of footsteps followed and a girl's voice shouted something indistinguishable. His fuzzy savior sailed through the mini-mart doors as the footsteps began arguing.

"Grab something to stick in front of the door!" the Boy Footstep said.

"Block the door?" The Girl Footstep retorted. "In case you haven't noticed, these guys don't exactly use doors."

"It'll slow them down at least; grab that magazine rack and jam it under the doorknob. I'm going to look for a way out of here; keep an eye on the kid." The Boy ran off as the Girl sighed to herself and began sorting through the rubble

"Are you injured?" Tai looked up as the yellow furred superhero drew back to take a look at him. Tai found himself staring into the elegant and serious face of a fox. A fox Digimon. She was a little taller than he was (including the hair) with yellow fur and piercing blue eyes that suddenly regarded Agumon with sudden interest.

"He's got a Digimon." She called to one of the Footsteps. A girl appeared from behind a snack counter and regarded Tai with a look of polite disinterest. Looking at her, Tai guessed she was about as old as Kari, which would make her about sixteen. She brushed a strand of her longish carrot colored hair out of her violet eyes as she looked Tai over.

"Not much of a Digimon Tamer if you ask me…this kid isn't even packing cards…" the girl muttered before addressing Tai. "Are you stupid or something?" Tai opened his mouth to respond but the girl cut him off. "I mean, you just saddle up your Digimon and figure, "Hey, I got nothing to do today. I guess I'll go off and hunt Mephistomon in the middle of a Mist Burst. That'll be a gas!" she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Tai's face flushed in anger. How dare she insinuate he was thrill-seeking?

The girl cocked her head and stared at Tai through squinted eyes. "Do they even speak Japanese in this world? Maybe he can't understand me…"

"I know what you're saying." Tai shot back. "And I'm not stupid…or something!"

The girl seemed to find this amusing as she chuckled quietly to herself. She turned back to sorting through the rubble. "I'm Rika, by the way. Rika Nonaka. The fox who saved your sorry butts is Renamon."

Renamon nodded slightly. "Pleased to meet you Mr…"

"Tai." Tai said. "I'm Tai Kamiya and this is Agumon."

_Snort. _Tai shot his head up as Rika tried unsuccessfully to cover a snort.

"Something funny?" Tai asked, crossing his arms.

"No, nothing. You're Tai Kamiya," _Snort. _"Gotcha."

"What're you laughing at?" Tai demanded.

Rika turned around, placing a hand on her hip. "Look, if you don't want to tell me your name, that's fine. A little rude, but fine…"

"I just did; My name is…"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you "Tai". She laughed again. "You know if you want use a cartoon codename, I would have gone with Scrappy Doo or something. It suits you better."

"Cartoon…Listen, you strange, strange little girl…" Tai said, flaring up.

"Oh no Renamon, he's getting angry!" She said in mock fear, holding her hands up to her face. "Watch out or SkullGreymon is gonna rip you apart!"

Tai's face paled as he glanced at Agumon. How did this girl know about SkullGreymon and why was she laughing about it?

"Isn't that what happened? I don't know; Goggles and the Fanboy Twins watched it more than I ever did." Rika lifted a magazine rack and blocked off the window. "I have the card but that's about all I…" she trailed off as she caught sight of Tai's digivice. Before he could come up with a snappy comeback, Rika had disconnected the device from his hip and was now staring at it intently.

"Hey! Give that back!" Tai lunged to grab in but was stopped by Renamon's paw in his face. Rika reached into a pouch in her belt and pulled out a card. She looked at the card with wide eyes and then back at the digivice, then back at the card, then back at the digivice, then at Tai then at Agumon then at Tai, then at the card, then at the Digivice, then Agumon then back at Tai.

Rika swallowed nervously. "You…you weren't kidding when you said you were Tai Kamiya, were you…" She asked all traces of cockiness gone from her voice and replaced by a small amount of fear.

"Why would I be kidding?" Tai asked, shaking Renamon off and crossing his arms.

Rika was about to say something when her friend burst in through the back door. "Rika! You're never going to believe this!"

"There really isn't much I'm not going to believe anymore…" She mumbled, staring at Tai like he was from Mars.

"What…anyway, there's a trapdoor that leads into a tunnel beneath the surface!" the boy looked up and seemed to notice Tai for the first time as Tai noticed him. He was about the same age as the girl, if not a little younger with dark hair, a serious expression and riding on his shoulders was…

"Terriermon!" Agumon exclaimed.

Terriermon looked down at Agumon. "Hey, you know my name?"

"Of course I do; Davis told us all about you! But…" Agumon looked up at the boy. "Who's this guy and where's Willis at?"

The boy looked back at Rika. "Rika, what's going on, here?"

Rika swallowed nervously. "Henry Wong, this is Tai Kamiya."

* * *

_AN Enter the Tamers! The last, halfway descent Digimon series! Alright kiddies, if you want to see demons from hell, Takato freaking out and more TaiXMattXSora drama (Spoiler! The only love triangle to wake a demon from a thousand years of sleep!) then hit that little review button and let me know how you like it! Next Chapter: The Tamers meet the gang and Takato and Ryo enter the fray. Monsters attack and the first of the Demon Lords reveals himself. Where's Sora? Who are the Demon Lords? Why am I asking you this? YOU DON'T KNOW!! Sparks are going to fly next time on Digimon: Digital Monsters!_


	4. Misunderstood

_Chapter Three: Misunderstood _

"Seriously?"

"Nope."

"But Veemon said…"

"Nope."

"Are you sure you didn't…"

"Nope."

"What about Willis?"

"Who?"

"Diaboramon?"

"Never heard of him."

"The Digi-Egg of Destiny?

Terriermon stopped dead in his tracks as he fixed Agumon with a deadpan stare. "Okay, you just made that up."

"I didn't! I swear! Can you digivolve to Rapidmon?"

"Yep."

"Ha!" Agumon guffawed in triumph. "You do know about the Golden Digi-Eggs!"

Terriermon looked back at Henry who just shrugged in the semi-light of the tunnel. "Look bub, I can get to my ultimate level _without _the use of the Silver Easter-Egg of Power."

"Digi-Egg of Destiny!"

"Whatever…"

Tai looked helplessly at the younger Tamer. "Are you sure you guys don't know Willis? Davis and Kari came back from America talking about this kid with Terriermon as his partner and some golden Digi-Eggs…I don't know. I was at a soccer tournament."

"Figures…" Henry mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Erm…No. We've never met Willis and we've never been to America."

"Right…so where _are_ you guys from?" Tai asked, skeptically

"We're from Tokyo…" Rika said, finding her voice. "Roundabout Shinjuku."

Tai frowned. "That's odd. Izzy mapped every digivice in the city and you two don't show up."

"Yeah…it's kind of a long story and I don't want to get into it until we can talk to everyone. How much further are you guys in the tunnel?" Henry asked.

Tai stared at him for a moment. "Not far." He finally said. "I'll go on ahead and tell my friends you're coming." Tai quickly got ahead of the Tamers, casting a glance back before rounding the corner.

Rika turned to Henry. "Psst. Who the hell is Willis?"

Henry smirked. "What's the matter, does the Digimon Queen not know her own domain?"

"Shut up!" she hissed, looking around. "I'm the Card Queen, remember? I only ever watched the show when Goggles had it on."

"Right…" Henry said with a smirk. He shot a glance at Renamon and they burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Rika demanded, eyes flashing.

"Only when Takato had it on, huh?" Terriermon giggled. "Sounds like the Queen has a royal crush on a Royal Knight."

"Why you little…I ought to…when I get a hold of you…" A beet red Rika stuttered at the little rabbit, aiming a punch at her head, to the general amusement of her friends.

* * *

Izzy breathed a sigh of relief as his laptop came back online. It had taken some doing, but he had managed to access the government satellite system and link up to the internet. He looked up to see a very perturbed Kari yelling at T.K

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE LEFT?!"

"Kari, Joe said you're not supposed to be up and…"

"TO HELL WITH WHAT JOE SAID!! WHERE'S TAI?!"

"He left to go get my brother and Sora. He's only been gone for about fifteen minutes…"

Kari threw the blanket off and pulled her digivice out. "Let's go Gatomon."

T.K grabbed her shoulders. "Kari, Tai told me to look after you!"

"Then come with! I'm not staying here while…TAI!" Kari exclaimed as her brother reappeared at the tunnel entrance. She rushed over to hug/punch him in the face for making her worry when Tai shushed her and waved everyone over.

"Tai! Are you alright? Where's Sora?" Joe asked.

"I didn't get far, but listen!" He looked behind him. 'I ran into two more Digi Destined on the way here…"

"Great! We need all the help we can get!" Ken sighed.

"Maybe. One has a Digimon I've never heard of." He turned to the Digimon. "Do you guys know of anyone named "Renamon?"

The Digimon exchanged confused looks as Izzy typed the name in. "Her name doesn't appear on my scanner."

"Right. You'll never guess who the other one is: Terriermon."

"Willis is here?" Davis said excitedly. "Alright! Now it's a party!"

"No. Terriermon is with some kid named Henry Wong. Ring any bells?" They shared a confused glance before shaking their heads. "He doesn't even know who you guys are."

"Or about the Golden Digi-Egg of Destiny!" Agumon complained. "He said I was making it up!"

"What if those kids killed Willis and brainwashed Terriermon?" Veemon said, fearfully

"What do you think is going on here?" Mimi asked.

'I don't know but as I was walking away, I heard Henry refer to Rika, that's the girl, as the "Digimon Queen."

Ken's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Another Emperor?"

"Maybe she's behind all this!" Cody said

"Maybe she just wanted to come with you so she could lead all her devil minions down here to kill us!" Davis squealed.

"We can't take any chances. We need to knock them out and question them when they wake up." Tai said.

"Tai…" Kari gulped softly.

"What?"

"This girl wouldn't happen my age, kind of a tomboy with flaming red hair, would she?"

"Yeah…"

"And the guy is kinda short with dark hair and a stern look about him,right?"

"Yeah, how did you…" Tai's voice died. He turned around slowly to see Rika and Henry leaning against the walls of the tunnel, deadpan expressions on their faces.

"Devil minions?" Rika asked with a raised brow. "Seriously?"

"I…er…well…you see…get em, Veemon!" Davis yelled, pointing a finger dramatically

"With pleasure! Vee-Headbutt!" Veemon launched himself at Renamon who merely caught his head with one outstretched paw and threw him into the wall.

"Veemon!" T.K yelled.

"Everybody, ATTACK!"

"No, wait!" Henry said, waving his hands "Stop!"

"Super Shocker!" Tentomon cried, spraying lightning at Terriermon.

"Terrier Tornado!" Terriermon spun around rapidly, launching a small green tornado that collided with Tentomon, sending him crashing into Palmon whose vines got tangled up in Gomamon. The three rolled away in a tight ball and collided with Veemon who was trying to get up.

"Okay, you asked for it! Give it to them Renamon!" Rika commanded.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon leaped over the wounded Rookies and slammed right into Renamon's chest. Renamon slid back, lowering a paw to the ground to steady herself.

"Nice moves, kitty-cat." Rika commented, drawing a card from her pouch with a smile. "But I think I can do one better."

Tai watched as Rika slid a card through her D-Arc. "Digi-Modify!"

"What's she doing, Izzy?" Joe asked as Izzy ran the specs on Renamon.

"I…I don't know. Somehow that card is rearranging Renamon's coding. She's gaining an extra attack!"

"Hey!" Gatomon said, glaring at Renamon. "What are you doing?"

Renamon chuckled darkly. "Hasn't anyone ever told you about curiosity and how it killed the cat?" Renamon raised her hand as it started to glow red. "Crimson Lightning!"

T.K laughed darkly. "Crimson Lightning? Who do you think you are, Myotismon? You can't just call out random attacks and expect them to-"

"YEOW!"

A burst of red light struck Gatomon and sent her reeling past T.K and into the clump of Rookies as they were untangling themselves. Rika smiled as the three Rookies and one Champion went down in a meowing, yelping, squealing heap….

"She used Myotisomon's attack!" Mimi gasped, aghast.

"She _is _one of the bad guys!" Cody cried.

"What?!" Rika exclaimed. "No, no you don't understand!"

"Rika!" Henry cried. "Why did you use the Myotismon card?"

"It was a good attack…it put her down, didn't it?"

"Myotismon was one of the bad guys in the show! They think you're on his side now!"

"WHAT PART OF "I DON"T WATCH THE SHOW" IS CONFUSING TO YOU?!" Rika moaned in despair.

"What show?" Kari asked T.K

"She's nuts. Alright, everyone, attack!" T.K cried

"No, wait!" Henry waved his hands. "Let's talk this over!"

"Diamond Storm!" Shards of crystal rained down, swatting the Rookies down with relative ease.

"Pitiful…" Renamon said with contempt. "Is there no one worthy to challenge us?"

"Try me on for size!"

Renamon turned around to catch a face full of plasma. Flipping back and landing lightly on her feet, she looked back to see a tall, powerful looking blue lizard covered in shining gold armor staring her down from across the tunnel.

Renamon stood, cracking her neck as she did. "And who might you be?"

"As if you don't know. I'm Mangamon, Golden Armor form of Veemon." Magnamon said with a flourish of energy

"SEE!" Agumon called to Terriermon. "I TOLD YOU I WASN'T MAKING IT UP!!"

"You're not the only one with tricks up your sleeve!" Davis crowed, waving his D-Terminal gleefully.

"_You _came out of that little runt, Veemon?" Renamon asked with a raised brow and a smirk. "Hmm…that's more like it."

"Magna Blast!" Renamon dodged the glowing bolts with ease and landed back on her feet. She dashed at Magnamon, throwing punches and kicks. Magnamon expertly parried and counterattacked, igniting the air and illuminating the cave.

"Not so cocky now, are you foxy?" Magnamon huffed, deflecting Renamon's Diamond Storm

"Foxy?" Renamon asked, ducking a Magna Kick. "Are you trying to insult me or hit on me? Either way, you're not that good"

"I…Erm…" Renamon smirked as Rika swiped another card. Feeling a sudden surge of power, she kicked the dragon's legs out and with one move pinned Mangamon against the wall.

"Shame, really…" Renamon mused, running a claw over Magnamon's armor, ripping off his helmet and exposing his throat and astonished face. "That I have to send you back to data, but c'est la vie." Renamon raised a paw to strike.

"Enough, Renamon." Rika called.

Renamon smirked, handing Magnamon his helmet back. "Lucky you." She remarked before returning to Rika's side, tail swishing.

"I think you'd better explain yourselves." Kari said, arms crossed. "You totally trashed our Digimon!"

"Hey, you brought it on, Sugar Queen! (_AN Brownie Points if you can guess the Reference!)_" Rika growled. "Don't want trouble? Don't start trouble…"

"And what's with the Crimson Lightning?" Joe demanded. "How did you guys use Myotismon's attacks?"

"I think we're all getting at the big question here: who are you guys, exactly? You knew about the Mephistomon and you knew how to take them down." Tai mentioned

"And Renamon isn't a Digimon found in our Digiworld." Gatomon mumbled, rubbing her head."

"AND I just got off IM with Willis. Terriermon is just fine back in Colorado." Izzy pointed out.

"Give us one good reason we should trust you!" Yolei demanded.

"Because…" Rika muttered. "We know who's behind this and we know how to stop them."

The Digidestined stared at Rika in shock. "Just…who are you guys and what are you doing here?" Tai finally asked

Rika and Henry exchanged a look.

"Get comfy." Rika said, sitting down beside the fire. "It's a long story and most of it, you won't believe…"


	5. Tamer Tales Part 1:Demon Lord

_Chapter Four: Tamer's Tales part 1: Demon Lord_

_DISCLAIMER: Listen up, ya'll cause I'm only saying this once. I. Do. Not. Own. Digimon. I never have and I never will. If I DID I would rewrite the season 02 ending so it was good, like I'm going to do with this story! I do not make money off this story. This story is by no means canonical and is meant for entertainment purposes only. The characters and events depicted are fictional. Any resemblance to any person or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. All Digimon is copyright Toei and Bandai. There. Now leave me alone_

**Through me the way into the suffering city,**  
**Through me the way to the eternal pain,**  
**Through me the way that runs among the lost.**

**Justice urged on my high artificer;**  
**My maker was divine authority,**  
**The highest wisdom, and the primal love.**

**Before me nothing but eternal things were made,**  
**And I endure eternally.**  
**Abandon every hope, ye who enter here."**

_The Divine Comedy; the Inferno; Canto III-Dante _

"I should probably start by saying that we're not from this world…"

Rika's statement had the same effect as if someone had started a story with the phrase, "I should probably start by saying that I am the ghost of Mary, Queen of Scots and the lizard people of planet Xanadu have commanded me to tell thee of the Squirrel People's dark plot against humanity…"

"So you're from the Digiworld?" Patamon asked, curiously. "You don't look like Digimon to me…"

"We aren't. We're regular humans from the human world. Just not, _this _human world…"

"I don't understand…" Yolei sighed.

"Neither do I." Rika confessed. "But I'll do my best to explain." She took a deep breath. "You know how the Digiworld is divided into four quadrants?" everybody nodded. "Well, you guys have only experienced _one _of the four: Azulongmon's quadrant."

"But there are other quadrants run by other Sovereigns." Henry picked up. "_Our _Digiworld is in the third quadrant. Zhuqiaomon's Quadrant."

"We should also say why the sovereigns divided the Digiworld to begin with." Rika stared across the flickering fire. "What do you know about the Seven Demon Lords?"

The Digimon exchanged a look. "Elecmon used to tell us stories when we were babies." The still digivolved Magnamon said. "They were mostly like the boogeyman. He would say things like "Don't be lazy or you'll turn into Belphamon!" or "If you brag a lot, Lucemon will get you!" Mostly trying to scare us into being good."

"I see…maybe a little Digi-History is in order…" Henry said. "A long, long, long, long time ago when the digiworld was young, Azulongmon and the other Sovereigns foresaw a great evil rising to threaten peace in the Digiworld. Back then, there was only one quadrant and the Sovereigns ruled over it together. So, Azulongmon told his servant to fashion nine seals and fix them to crests of power. The nine he picked were picked for the Sovereign Virtues, the virtues Azulongmon prized the most. Courage, Friendship, Love, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Hope, Light and Kindness. For ages, the crests stood as watchful guardians against the forces of evil."

"Then, not too long ago, an evil rose up that threatened the safety of the crests and by association, the safety of the Digiworld. So Azulongmon bound the crests to nine Chosen Children." Henry said, nodding at Tai. "I believe you are all familiar with what happens next."

"How do you know all this?" Kari asked. "This is the first time you've ever been to our world."

"The legend of the Nine is an old story in our Digiworld. Most people think it's a myth. Besides," Renamon said, looking at Henry. "We know people with intimate knowledge of how the digital world came to be…" Henry blushed and blundered on

"But see, not all of Azulongmon's angels were on board with his plan. One of his most trusted servants, Lucemon the Light Bringer, argued that humans could never personify these traits purely since he claimed we were ignorant, arrogant and cruel. He thought that the humans would use the crests to seize control of the Digiworld and subjugate the Digimon. Azulongmon, for this reason, assigned Digimon to not only protect the Nine but to serve as moral compasses for the children so as they would not be tempted."

"Four years after the darkness faded, Lucemon's prophecy came true. A human tried to seize control of the Digiworld, ignoring his Digimon guide and sought to dominate the world."

Without warning, Ken stood up and left the fireside. Yolei cast a worried look after him before getting up to follow.

"We'll wait for them to get back…" Henry said quietly, looking at Ken as if he understood. Tai looked at the young Tamer, wondering how he could possibly understand the pain Ken had suffered. He looked back behind him. Yolei had pulled Ken into a hug, his face buried in her hair, shoulders shaking.

"So there's a Tokyo in your world too?" Mimi asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah. Us four live in the Shinjuku district."

"Four?" Cody asked.

"Two of our friends got lost when we entered this world." Rika said, looking at her D-Arc sadly. "We haven't found them yet."

"Momentai, Rika!" Terriermon said. "Your boyfriend is more than a match for a lousy clump of Mephistomon!"

"Will you shut up about Takato!" Rika yelled, to general laughter. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Hey, I didn't say_ anything_ about Takato!" Terriermon giggled. The rest of the Digidentined roared with laughter. "Aww, I think its sweet, Rika!"

"Shut up, Bunny Boy!"

"A Queen and her Knight" he sighed, batting his eyelashes. "How romantic…"

"Put a sock in it, Terriermon…" Rika growled dangerously.

"I guess marriage is out of the question, since he's a commoner and all…"

"Terriermon…"

"But you can always marry King Ryo and you two could be secret _looooovers_"

"_I'm warning you, you make one more crack about Gogglehead and I'll…"_

"He can be your Anne Boleyn! Your Rennitte Poission! Your Madame de Pompdour! You can meet for moonlit walks on the beach! He can be your mistress!"

"That's it!" Rika screamed. "Renamon! I order you to kill, Terriermon. Kill him and load his data so he can't come back!"

"Why?" Renamon asked. "I've done enough, fighting for today, wouldn't you say, Magnamon?"

Rika smirked, glancing at Magnamon. "Or else I'll tell everyone that I'm not the only one with a crush on a Royal Knight…" the words left Rika's mouth before she could stop them

"Ah, HA!" Terriermon crowed with glee. "A CONFESSION!" By now everyone was dying with laughter, even Ken and Yolei who managed a watery chuckle here and there. "You're all witnesses! She said it! Plan the wedding! Call the caterer! Reserve the Reception Hall!"

"Okay, okay, enough you two," Henry chuckled, getting between Terriermon and a fuming Rika. "Are you alright, Ken?" Henry asked. Ken nodded, squeezing Yolei's hand. "Then we'll continue."

"After a new group of humans turned the wayward human, Lucemon again pleaded with Azulongmon to cast the children out and let the Digiworld be for Digimon only. His cries fell on deaf ears and Lucemon grew more and more disillusioned with his master. One day, while sulking in the gardens, a sympathetic Ophanimon and Seraphimon came to his aid and together, the three plotted mischief against Azulongmon. The three fallen angels revived four horrible demon Digimon and the Seven of them bound Azulongmon and the other Sovereigns in chains."

"All went well and the Demon Lords, including a changed Lucemon, began to set their plans in motion. They would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for a group of meddling kids and their crests." Tai couldn't help but smile.

"Azulongmon flew back to heaven, mad as all hell and threw the Seven Demon Lords down into the darkest depths of the digital world. The Ophanimon and Seraphimon became Lilithmon and Barbamon while Lucemon became Lucemon Chaos Mode. The Sovereigns sealed them with seven Dark crests, representing a sin that they had committed."

"For Leviamon, a fiendish monster who desired to be held in the same regard as the angels, the Crest of Envy was burned into his flesh"

"For Belphamon, who wanted to conquer so that an eternity of leisure would be his, the Crest of Sloth was burned into his skin and a heavy chain placed around his neck."

"For Beelzemon, who craved food and drink above all else, The Crest of Gluttony."

"For Daemon, who sought revenge for past wrongs, the Crest of Wrath."

"For Barbamon, who desired to control all the world's riches, the Crest of Greed."

"For Lilithmon, who craved earthly pleasures instead of deep feeling, the Crest of Lust."

"And for Azulongmon's Light Bringer, the angel that had taught Digimon the way of reconfiguring and digivolution, who had illuminated so many dark corners with his truth, was transfigured and burdened with the Crest of Pride."

"The Sovereigns decided to divide the world so word of the evil of the Demon Lords would never spread. But when they divided the world, they somehow bridged the reality gap and crossed over into our reality. It was four years ago that Digimon first appeared in our world."

"Three of us, Takato, Rika and myself with the help of friends like Ryo, defeated evil Digimon and saved our city from destruction. For four years after that, we had a time of peace for us and our Digimon."

"Then…Daemon attacked." Rika said softly.

"What?" Tai cried. "How? When?" Why didn't we hear about it?"

"The Demon Lords had help." Rika muttered. "Someone let them out and into our world where they found themselves trapped by the Sovereign barriers. So they did the best they could to try and break into our world. Meanwhile, Beelzemon was killed in our world and was reborn; this time on our side."

"Well that's a relief…" Davis sighed. "So now we only have Six demon lords?"

"I looks that way…" Henry said thoughtfully. "Unless Lucemon…" Henry shook his head. "Nah. So where was I…oh right: Daemon."

"He just appeared one day with a choir of Mephistomon in tow and blew Odaiba half to hell." Tai felt a shiver of fear go up around him. "He practically sunk it to the bottom of the bay."

"No way." T.K sighed. "I don't believe you…"

"Believe it or not, Sunshine, it happened. I saw it." Rika said, staring into the fire.

"You could be lying…"

"T.K" Tai said gently.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"You want proof?" Rika dug a hand into her pocket and pulled out a small camera. "Here's your proof." She flicked to a building. "Here's Fuji TV" She flicked to a twisted heap of blackened metal. "Here's Fuji TV after Daemon." She flicked to show a busy bridge. "Rainbow Bridge." She flicked to scrap metal floating in the harbor. "Junk." She flicked to a busy performance hall. "Zepp Tokyo." Crater Shot. "Gone. The Miriaikan; Gone. Shiokaze Park-"

"Okay…that's enough…" T.K murmured, eyes glazing over.

"But that's not the worst part." Henry was talking again. "After he was done and everyone was dead, he started sifting through the rubble, _looking _for something." Henry sighed.

"We think that something was someone. And that someone is you. The nine original crest bearers."

Silence

"Us?" Izzy finally said. "Why would he want us? We gave up our crests to free Azulongmon."

"What you gave up was only a physical manifestation of what was already inside you." Henry explained. "You'll always carry your crest with you, no matter what; its essence is always with you. That is why you are important to the Demon Lords. The power of your crests could be enough to cause the downfall of the Sovereigns and the beginning of a dark age, ruled by demons. We followed them through the gate they made and wound up here. They're looking for _you_" Henry chuckled. "We're lucky we got to you first. We can keep an eye on you and…" Henry trailed off, looking at the downcast Digidestined. "What?"

"We're not all here…Matt and Sora are lost out there still" Tai said quietly.

"Great…Rika murmured. "Just great." Rika stood up. "We need to find them; who knows where they could be?"

"I knows…"

Everyone whipped around to see a boy with spiky brown hair, battered and bruised, wearing a shaky smile and followed by a snarling dragon Digimon, licking his wounds.

"Ryo! Cyberdramon!" Rika and Henry looked back to see Ken on his feet, eyes wide with shock.

Ryo squinted. "Ken Ichijoji, is that you? Long time no see man…how'd that whole Millenniumon-Dark Spore thing work out?"

"Ryo, what happened?' Henry asked, looking around. 'Where's Takato?"

"I-I don't know." Ryo said, shakily. "He went after a Lilithmon when she captured a girl we were protecting."

"Girl?" Tai grabbed Ryo by the shoulders. "What girl, what did she look like?"

"I…my head's still kinda fuzzy…"

"Answer him, Ryo!" Rika demanded, eyes wide. "What did she look like?"

Ryo looked at Tai for a moment before turning back to Rika, speaking quietly. "Red hair, blue shirt and kakis. Her name was Sora." He looked back at Tai. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."

"Lilithmon's got Sora." Henry echoed, grimly. At these words, there was a flurry of gasps behind him. Tai sank to his knees, eyes devoid of any emotion, jaw slacked slightly.

"Ryo…how did this happen?" Rika moaned, grabbing his hair and shaking him angrily. "What happened, Ryo? Tell me! What the HELL happened?!"

_AN: DUN DUN DAHH!! Short chapter but it was just to get the backstory out of the way. I NEED DIGI-MODIFYS!! Does anyone remember what the Crest Cards did in the Card game? I want to work those into the plot but I don't remember what they did. If I can't remember, I'll just make it u. So submit a review with any cards you remember and I'll be sure to thank you in the next chapter_


	6. Tamer Tales Part 2:Gogglehead Redhead

_Chapter Five: Tamers Tales Two: Goggleheads and Redheads _

"Does your leg hurt?"

"No…"

"Does your stomach hurt?"

"No…"

"Does your head hurt?"

"No-"

_SLAP!_

Ryo nearly fell over as Rika's palm collided with the side of his face.

"How about now?" she spat. "Does it hurt now?"

"Rika, I-"

_SLAP!_

"I gave you one job to do, Ryo. _ONE JOB." _She wiped her hand on her jeans, angrily glaring at Ryo. "What was the last thing I told you two knuckleheads before we all jumped into that portal?"

"You don't under-"

_SLAP! _

"Rika calm down…"

"Stay out of this, Wong!" Rika turned her attention back to Ryo. "Answer me, Akiyama!"

"You…you said to make sure we didn't do anything stupid or heroic…"

"_And?"_

"To…to watch each other's backs."

"I gave you one job and you," _Slap! "_Blew it!" _Slap! _"BIG TIME!"

"Rika! You don't understand!" Ryo mumbled, backing away from her

"Then _enlighten me _oh wizened one." She snarled, sarcastically. Behind her, the others were trying to console a borderline zombie Tai.

"We got…there were so many…it's complicated…"

"Tell us."

Ryo looked past the still flaming Rika to see Tai's eyes clouded with tears. He looked so much older than he really was, as if Ryo's appearance had suddenly aged him.

"Please…" Tai continued. "What happened?"

Ryo sighed, took a deep breath and began…

_Three hours earlier_

"Come one, Biyomon, Digivolve!"

"Sora, I…I can't."

"Why not?" Sora sobbed in frustration, glancing outside the grimy shop window at the chaos outside. Once the screaming had started, she and Biyomon had ducked into the nearest store and tried to sort themselves out. It hadn't taken long to figure out that once again their little city was under attack from vicious viral Digimon. Sora had been trying to coax the little bird Digimon into Digivolution for the past hour or so but something was holding her back.

"I just don't feel well, Sora." Biyomon groaned, holding her wings up to her head. "I feel all…woozy."

"Biyomon, our friends are in danger…" Sora pleaded. "There are gangs of murdering Digimon roaming the streets and this mist is clouding the city. We need you, Biyomon. We need Garudamon."

Biyomon sniffed back a tear. "I'm sorry, Sora. I just can't."

Sora Sighed and pulled her partner to her chest. "Don't worry, Biyomon. Someone's coming for us. You'll see."

"Quite right you are, my dear."

Sora spun around to see the source of the voice. A young woman sat on the counter only it was plainly obvious from the start that she was no woman. Leathery, black wings jutted up from her back and a black silk dress hung on her voluptuous frame.

"Who…who are you?"

Sora flinched as she waged her finger at her; her left arm was bony and dead looking, capped with a gold claw for a hand.

"_I _am not important right now, Sora darling." She licked her lips. "But in the interest of formality," she floated off her perch and made an exaggerated courtesy in midair. "My name is Lilithmon. I'm a Mega level Demon Lady Digimon. My Nazar Nail and Phantom Pain will leave you weak in the knes and I've just been _dying _to meet you, my dear."

Sora hugged Biyomon tighter to her chest as she scooted towards the door. 'Wh-what do you mean?"

Lilithmon made a grand gesture with her claw, indicating the mist. "You see all this? My friends and I dropped in all the way from the 3rd realm just to wish you a Happy Birthday." She giggled as Sora's eyes widened in shock. "All this is our little way of saying "Thank you"

"Thank me for what? I haven't done anything for you." Sora nervously glanced behind her, making sure she had enough room to sprint.

"No…you haven't." Liltihmon smiled, grimly. "Not yet." She glanced at the door. "If you want to run, be my guest. Just be aware that the other Demon Lords aren't as, charitable, as I am."

"Look…I don't know what you're getting on about and I don't care! Stay the hell away from me!" Sora burst through the door and ran outside…

Right into the mouth of a waiting Demon Lord.

At first Sora thought she had stumbled into a cave. It took a moment for Sora to realize that the small dark area she was standing in was a mouth. It took another second to realize that the squishy ground she was standing on was a tongue and the row after row of razor sharp "stalactites" were in fact teeth. After Sora came to grips with all of this, she did what any sensible, level headed person would have done when faced with a similar situation.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"

Sora tore out of the demon's mouth to the amusement of her would-be predator. Sora whipped around to come face to nose with the longest Digimon she had ever seen. From tip to tail, he took up nearly three blocks, most of which was made up of a long, razor filled mouth that Sora had been standing in not a moment before. It resembled a large alligator with armor plating on its head and blue ridges lining his back.

"You ssssssure are quick, birthday girl." The monster chuckled through his teeth. " That'sssss what I call fasssst food. But you really should have lissssstened to Lilithmon. You'll find I'm not sssssso friendly."

"Who…who are you?" Sora managed to stutter out, clutching Biyomon tighter.

"They call me the Demonic Beasssst." The monster hissed. "I dwell in the darkesssssst corner of the Digiworld and I am the foundation for all thingsssss evil." He snapped his jaws with a deafening _clap. _"I am known assss the Lord of Envy. Leviamon issss my name. I come to ssssswallow thosssse who opposssssse the Demon Lordsssssss. My Gauda attack and Cursssse of the Deep will leave you feeling quite ssssseasssick"

"We'll see about that. Ready Biyomon?"

Biyomon shakily nodded. "I'll try."

Sora drew her digivice. "Let em have it!"

"Biyomon digivolve to….Yokomon!"

"What?" Sora gasped as Biyomon reverted to her in training form. "What's wrong with this thing?" Sora shook her digivice until she realized no light shone from its screen.

"Awww, what'sssss the matter? Issss your toy broken?" Leviamon sneered.

"Sora…" Yokomon said weakly.

"Time to die, human girl." Leviamon taunted. He raised his tail high in the air. "CAUDA!" his tail slammed into the ground. For a moment, there was nothing. Then the ground beneath Sora gave way and she fell into nothingness.

Sora shut her eyes as she suddenly became weightless. This was it: the end. It was Datamon all over again only this time, Tai wasn't there to save her. In the few, brief moments that she was falling, Sora's mind suddenly flashed back to when she was only five. She had been out with Tai climbing a tree when she froze on one branch, scared to go any higher but too afraid to climb down on her own.

"_Tai! Let's go back…" Sora said, fearfully glancing down "We're too high!" _

_Tai looked back down at her, smiling. "Come on Sora! Only one more and you can see the whole city from up here!" _

"_But…" Sora sniffled. "I'm scared…" Tai leaned down, offering her a hand. _

"_It's okay, Sora. If you need help, just take my hand!" _

_Sora reached her hand up…_

Sora reached her hand up...

Suddenly her arm jerked as something caught it. She swung briefly, holding on to Yokomon as she looked up to see her savior. Her throat closed up and for a moment she forgot to breathe. _He came..._ Her hero pulled her up while something was happening behind him. Gasping with relief, Sora threw her arms around the boy's neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Tai…you came."

"Um…excuse me?"

Sora froze as a voice that definitely didn't belong to Tai spoke. Slowly pulling back, she studied the young man who had saved her life.

It was no surprise that she had thought of Tai; the boy could have been his brother…well, distant cousin anyway. Curious amber eyes stared back at her from behind thick, yellow goggles. The goggles, in addition to the blue sweatshirt and jeans he wore, made a strong impression that anyone could have mistaken for Tai. But he was younger and his hair was definitely tamer. Tamer…why did that word seem to fit him?

"Oh…" Sora said, disappointed. "You're not…"

The boy stared intently at her for a moment, lifting his goggles to do so. Leviamon was nowhere to be seen but the cries of battle weren't far away. "Um…hi. I'm Takato Matsuki."

"Oh…"Sora said again, blushing. "I thought you were someone I knew…"

"What's your-" but Takato was cut off as a huge red lizard, covered in sliver armor slammed through a skyscraper, landing on his feet.

"TAKATO!" the beast roared. "HELP!" the sound of steel on cement caught their ears as Leviamon came back, dragging his metal scales on the ground, running his long tongue over his dagger like teeth, menacingly.

"Foolish humansssss" Leviamon hissed. "Who are you to challenge a Demon Lord with only one…meassssssly…ultimate?"

"Count again, leather face." A deep voice growled from beside her. Sora looked left to see a black dragon covered with a metal mask, snarling as a boy with spiky brown hair, shuffled a pack of cards, nonchalantly beside him.

"He thinksssss he'ssss ssssso tough…" the other boy said, mockingly to Takato, barely taking notice of Sora. "Ready, Takato?"

Takato nodded, pulling out a card of his own. "Let's skin this lizard."

Suddenly Ryo fanned his deck out in front of Sora's face. "Pick a card, any card."

Sora glanced at the strange boy for a moment before drawing a card and taking a look at it.

"Machinedramon" She glanced at the picture of the Dark Master and then back at Ryo. "Why is Machinedramon on a playing card?"

Ryo winked at her. "You'll see." He slid the card through a strange Digivice. " DIGI-MODIFY! Machinedramon's Giga Cannon Activate!"

"What?" but something was happening to his partner. The dragon growled as a cloud of data streamed from the Digivice and formed on his back. When it cleared, a pulsing metal cannon was in its place.

"Oh…my…" Sora gasped, eyes wide

"GIGA CANNON!" the dragon cried. Two bursts of white hot light streamed from his cannon. Leviamon tried to scramble away but caught both blasts in the side as he was turning around. Leviamon howled in anguish as a hole in his tough skin began to poke through.

"Now's our chance! Hit him up, War Growlmon!" Takato pulled a strange Digivice out and ran the card through one end. "Digi-Modify! Power Boost Activate!

War Growlmon's chest opened and two balls of spinning flame charged. Leviamon froze, trying to scramble away but it was too late.

"ATOMIC BLASTER!" the flaming beams punched through the hole that the Giga Cannon had created. Leviamon screamed in agony as pulsing flame filled his body. His mouth opened and fire poured out. His eyes rolled back into his head and he exploded in a cloud of data.

"Do you have the D-Tainor, Ryo?" Takato asked.

Ryo (as his name turned out to be) pulled a small, black device as Takato ran up to the lizard. "I'm Ryo Akiyama, by the way. The grumpy dragon over there is Cyberdramon" He said to Sora as he pulled what looked like a blank card out of his pouch and sliding it in the device. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sora…"Sora responded. "Sora Takenouchi"

Ryo looked back at her. "Really?" he asked, glancing at Yokomon. "Wow, Goggles is going to flip a lid…"

"Huh?"

"Nice to meet you Sora." Ryo said, closing the device and aiming it at the lingering data cloud. He opened the device's cover and all at once the data in the air started swirling and condensing above the device. Ryo gingerly put it down and grabbed Sora's arm. "Run for your life!" They tore off down the street with Cyberdramon carrying Yokomon gingerly in his jaws. They stopped at the end of the block as a blast of energy shot straight up into the sky from the device. It lingered for a moment before dissipating. Ryo, Takato and Sora walked over to the machine to see a big, green OK on the screen. Ryo popped it open and on the previously blank card, there was an image of Leviamon, howling with rage.

"YES!!" Takato and Ryo cried, punching the air.

"Wait…what did you just do?" Yokomon asked.

"Some Digimon are just too dangerous to be allowed to regenerate so Yamaki and the Monster Makers made us this!" Sora and Yokomon shared a confused glance but Ryo went on. Ryo flourished the device. "It's called a D-Tainor. Traps any nasty Digimon in the form of a harmless playing card. Well, not totally harmless but you get the idea."

Sora rubbed her head. "I really don't…First Lilithmon and now these two?"

Takato and Ryo suddenly became very grave. "Lilithmon? Where?"

"HERE!"

Sora cried out in shock as a mangled claw grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her up into the air. Sora felt something sharp prick the back of her neck and the last thing she remembered was Takato yelling something indistinguishable as he grabbed on to Lilithmon's dress…

"TAKATO! SORA!" Ryo cried as Lilithmon flew away with the Digidestined and Tamer in tow. Cyberdramon's soft growling alerted him to the presence of fifty or so Mephistomon tearing down the street, claws extended.

"Let's get out of here." Ryo said, getting on Cyberdramon's back. "We need to find Rika and Henry and figure out where that hag took Takato." Ryo gave Lilithmon's retreating figure one last look before setting off in search of Rika and Henry.

* * *

"I must have fought my way through a hundred Mephistomon before I picked up your signal." Ryo finished, looking around at the Digidestined. He managed to recount his adventures without boasting of his accomplishments or complaining about his hardship. He just said it; and Tai really respected him for that.

"So what now?" Davis asked.

Tai took a deep breath. "We've got to find Sora and Takato."

Tai looked around, expecting a chorus of dissent but everyone was just staring vacantly into the fire.

"Yeah…" Ken said. "We do."

"What about Matt?" Joe asked.

"Matt's going to be fine." T.K said. "He hooked up with Noriko and the others so he'll at least have friends. We need to focus on finding Sora and Takato."

"How?" Izzy asked. "We can't track Sora's Digivice, remember?"

"No, but we can track, Takato's" Henry said, popping up his locator. He looked at it for a moment. "There. They're being held in the Fuji Broadcasting Tower."

"What is it with Evil Digimon and the Fuji building?" Mimi sighed.

"Good, defendable building. Control of all communication in the city. From up there you can see anything coming at you. It's a perfect fortress." Izzy said.

There was silence for a moment as everybody shared a look with each other. They knew what it would mean to go try to rescue them and none of them seemed to care what the cost was.

"We're with you, Tai." Ryo stood up, voicing everyone's opinion. "Even if we can't find Takato…we'll help you get Sora out of there." Henry and Rika nodded.

"Yeah…" Tai said, distantly.

"Momentai, Tai." Terriermon giggled

"Huh?" Tai asked

"It means don't worry about Sora. She's with Takato! He's a bright little ray of sunshine, he is! Tough as nails! Reminds me a lot of you, actually. He'll pull her through until you show up!"

Tai sniffed. "How can I not worry about her?" Tai angrily wiped the back of his eyes. "I should have stayed out there instead of sulking in here like a sewer rat. I could have helped them…I could have helped her…this is all my fault…"

T.K sighed. "Well, since Matt isn't here to do the honors, I guess I will." He cracked his fist and connected it with the side of Tai's face with a resounding _smack_.

Tai sat back stunned for a moment. Then, without warning, he started laughing.

"T.K! Look what you did!" Davis said. 'You made him crazy!"

"No, no, it's not that." Tai said, wiping his eyes and looking up at T.K "You remind me so much of Matt, you know that?"

T.K pulled Tai to his feet. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was meant as one." Tai looked over the assembled group of kids and Digimon. "It's going to be a tough march to the tower."

"We can take anything those demonic scumbags can throw at us!" Gatomon said, confidently

"And throw it right back!" Patamon cheered

Tai turned to Rika who stared at him for long time. During their silent interchange, a sort of understanding passed between them. Even if everybody else fell or got hurt or got scared, Tai knew he would always have Rika right beside him. Something in her brash attitude, unwavering confidence in herself and her friends and brutal battling ability filled him with the strength he needed to pull Sora out of the mouth of hell itself. And if he died, she'd make sure Sora got home alright.

The thought of Sora imprisoned in a TV tower, miles from her friends and loved ones filled Tai with equal parts fear and determination. The thought of losing his best friend, the love of his life (corny as it sounded, there was no other way of describing it) made him weak in the knees. The thought of never arguing with her about soccer or helping her in her mom's shop or talking to her late at night when they were supposed to be studying made him want to break into a million pieces and lie there on the floor. But he had to be strong. He had to be brave. For her

Rika looked at Tai and knew that here was a fighter who wouldn't quit, who wouldn't surrender until either he was dead or Sora was safe. One Gogglehead was like all the rest and that meant brave, strong willed and determined; a perfect ally for what was to come.

Even though she'd never admit it to anyone, the thought of losing that stupid, lamebrain, idiot Gogglehead made her sick inside. The thought of never again hearing him argue with Kenta about which Dark Master was the coolest or listening to him gush girlishly about his favorite pairings (and hear him mumble darkly about how Sorato was "never fully developed and totally random"; whatever the hell that meant) made it hard for her to breathe. The thought of never kicking his ass at Cards again or being forced to watch the damn TV show again (something she now wished she had done more of) or never helping him bake his family's bread loaves and cream puffs made her, the Digimon Queen and the toughest Tamer in the universe, want to break down and cry. But she had to be strong. For him.

"You ready?" Tai asked her. By now everyone was watching their exchange like a championship fight. The rest of the team would help. They would fight alongside Rika and Takato to their dying breath. But this was _their _battle and the rest of the Digidestined and Tamers knew that.

Rika raised a brow. "Are you? The armies of Digi-Hell and five all powerful Demon Lords are waiting outside to obliterate us if we so much as sneeze. You think you can handle that?"

Tai looked away for a moment "To be perfectly honest…" He looked back, grinning. "I don't think _they _can handle _us!_"

They both glanced up. Ten thousand Ultimate Digimon ready to rip anything that moved to tiny little shreds were up there. Five Demon Lords with all the powers of darkness at their disposal controlled them. Ten thousand Mephistomon and five Demon Lords stood between Tai and Rika and Sora and Takato.

And if they had any sense about them, they would be scampering back to hell as fast as their little wings could carry them because it is a well known fact in the Digiworld that getting between a Gogglehead and a Redhead who cared about each other and trying to keep them apart was just about the worst mistake anyone, human or Digimon, could ever make.

_AN: READ AND REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO SEE MEGA LEVEL ACTION, ANGST AND EXCITEMENT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!! EVEN IF YOU DON'T, REVIEW ANYWAY!! _


	7. Rage and LoveLust

_Chapter Six: Rage and Love/Lust_

_(LONG CHAPTER AHEAD!!) _

Mimi stuck a mirror around the wall, swiveling it up and down to check the streets for any sign of life. Once she was sure the coast was clear she nodded at the Digimon at her side. Gargomon commando rolled out into the street, crouching low and sweeping the street with his arm cannons. His sharp, keen eyes gave the abandoned street a once over before nodding to the group behind him.

"All clear."

He was followed by Henry and an evolved Kyubiimon, flicking her long, flaming tails lazily as Rika rode between her shoulders. Greymon squeezed out of the alleyway with Tai standing on his nose hanging on to his horn. Lilymon fluttered out of the alleyway followed by Mimi and Izzy riding on MegaKabuterimon's back. Joe and Cody were riding Ankylomon while Zudamon lumbered behind them. Davis (to Renamon's displeasure) chose Rapidmon alongside Yolei, Ken and Wormmon with Halsemon. TK and Kari were astride Pegasusmon and Nefertimon on top of the roofs, providing aerial cover if need be. Ryo and Cyberdramon covered their rear, walking backwards to cover their tracks. They moved slowly, eyes darting after every shadow. Once or twice, Gargomon would drop and fire a stream of bullets down an alleyway or at a window or (in one case) at a very unlucky chipmunk, accomplishing nothing except for scaring the hell out of everyone.

"A little louder, Bunny Boy!" Rika yelled sarcastically, holding her ears. "I don't think Lucemon heard it that time!"

"Remind me again why we don't all just go Mega?" Tai called down to Rika. "No one would dare to attack us if we flaunted WarGreymon."

"No one except the Demon Lords, you mean." Rika responded. "If we go Mega too quickly, they'll notice and all come screaming after us. Besides, we want to wait to see if we can hook up with your friend, Matt, before we tip our hand and let them know who's coming."

"What is this stuff, anyway?", Joe asked Henry who chose to walk in the middle of he pack, away from his trigger happy partner. "I take it that it isn't fog…"

"It's biological matter." Henry responded. "That's why it's so warm; it's body temperature. This mist cloud is made up of all kinds of stuff that allows us to exist in the human world. Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, blood cells; notice how it has a faint, metallic taste? That's from all the blood in the air."

"So we're breathing a cloud of blood?!" Yolei said horrified. "Where did it all come from?"

Rika looked back at her. "Digimon can pull some of it from decomposing organic materials, like roadkill and dead foliage."

"But judging by a mist this thick," Henry said, looking around. "I'd say that the Mephistomon were sent first to collect some matter donations from the good people of Odaiba so the Demon Lords could come through."

Everybody looked around in horror as they realized that they could be breathing in friends, neighbors or even family members.

"Can't we do anything?" Mimi asked, gripping the back of Izzy's jacket a little tighter. "Do we have to just let this mist hang here?"

"Nothing we can do." Rika said softly. "Until we defeat the Mephistomon."

"Speaking of which, where are the little buggers?" Davis asked, looking around. " One minute they were all over Tai like ugly on an Ogremon and then they just vanished! Talk about hit and run…"

"Well there are a couple reasons that could be," Ryo responded. "Either they're scared of us (which is wildly unlikely) they know they can't win in a fight with all of us (which wouldn't matter cause they're the cockiest punks in the Digiworld), they're watching us, or…"

"Or?" Izzy asked

"Or they know where we are and sent a Demon Lord after us." Ryo said gravely, looking around. "But I wouldn't worry about that; we'd know if they were here by now."

"Really?" Tai looked back. Ever since Ryo had dropped the Sora bombshell, he had been itching for a crack at a Demon Lord. "Which one? Do you think it might be Lilithmon? Maybe we should digivolve; WarGreymon stands the best chance against her…"

"Jeez Louise, Gogglebrain, try not to sound so excited." Rika muttered, dryly. "Demon Lords are a bad thing, remember?"

"Oh…yeah…I just thought…" Tai mumbled, awkwardly

"They wouldn't send Lilithmon." Henry said. "She's powerful, but she's not really a doer."

"She grabbed Sora alright." Davis said.

"Yeah, but she let Leviamon wear us down a bit before making her move." Ryo said. "And it wouldn't be Barbamon, either. He's more of a mastermind. No, if someone was going after us it would be someone like Belphamon or Daemon."

"But Belphamon sits on his fuzzy butt all day and sleeps." Rika mentioned. "So that only leaves Daemon because he gets his sick jollies thrashing other Digimon."

"Sounds like someone I used to know…" Henry said with a smile, looking at Rika who just blushed and looked away

"We dealt with Daemon before, right Tai?" Mimi said.

"Don't remind me…" Tai mumbled, remembering what had to be one of the worst Christmases in his entire life. Watching the girl of your dreams going with someone else and having to zip around the world trying to stop the Daemon Corps doesn't exactly scream Merry Christmas.

"You dealt with a watered down Daemon." Ryo coolly dismissed. "He was only at a fifth of his power in his Fallen Angel form. We're talking about a big, hairy, snarling killing machine, here."

"Oh…hey!" T.K exclaimed. "How'd you know that?"

Rika and Henry shot a death glare at Ryo who sheepishly pretended not to hear T.K's question.

Suddenly Kyubiimon stopped beside Gargomon. Up ahead, the mist was so dense they could barely see their own hands in front of their faces. An impassible wall of dark fog blocked their path.

Tai looked up. "Kari, Nefertimon, can you see anything?"

Kari squinted through the darkness. "Nothing!"

'The mist…" Kyubiimon muttered darkly. "It burns…"

All of a sudden, the mist started to condense, swirling around and around until it formed a tight ball of swirling darkness, sucking in the mist like a black hole. Suddenly, Rika's D-Arc went off, wildly flashing lights. Glancing down at the screen, her eyes widened in fear. She turned around in her perch on Kyubiimon, leaping off and running back. "Get ready! Ultimates up front! Champions you'll support. I want Lilymon, MegaKabuterimon, Halsemon, Nefertimon and Pegasusmon in the skies, right now!" Rika barked like an army chief, donning a pair of purple tinted sunglasses and pulling a hand of cards out, shuffling through her pack until she found the ones she was looking for. Around her, the Tamers were doing the same thing. "Ken and Davis need to DNA Digivolve ASAP, Ankylomon and Zudamon need to set up a base down the street where we can run our gambits and sleights." Rika stared at them as they froze like deer in the headlights. "Well don't just stand there looking like Etamon at a spelling bee, MOVE IT!!"

"Why?" T.K called, looking down. "What's happening?"

"IT'S DAEMON!!" Henry cried as all of a sudden the mist exploded.

* * *

"Hello?"

…

"Can you hear me?"

"Hellooooo?"

"Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead!"

"Takato, she's not waking up!"

"Please?"

Sora groaned as consciousness hit her like a speeding bus. She felt fuzzy, disoriented and weak; not to mention the throbbing pain in her head. She reluctantly opened her eyes to come face to face with a yellow eyed, red skinned monster.

"Hi!" the Demon from Hell said, cheerfully.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Sora lashed out, striking the devil in the nose. The demon fell back, clutching its face and howling with rage…or pain?

Upon further inspection, she saw that the "Demon" was actually a small red dinosaur with strange black tattoos on his back and a white underbelly. He sat back, yellow eyes brimming with tears of pain as he rubbed his snout. "Takato, she hit me!" he whined childishly, looking over in the corner where his partner was sitting. Takato laughed, kneeling down next to the beast and rubbing his nose.

"Well you're not exactly the first thing everyone expects to see when they wake up Guilmon." Takato turned back to Sora. "Are you alright? Sorry he scared you; he just has a tendency to fuss over people when they're sleeping."

Sora shook her head, trying to shake the fuzzy feeling in her mind. She groggily looked around the room they were trapped in. A few dead monitors lined the wall and piles of video tapes and recording equipment littered the floor.

"Where are we?" Sora felt around blindly. "Where's Biyomon?"

Takato frowned slightly, indicating his jacket which had been converted into a bed for a sleeping Yokomon.

"I didn't want to wake her; she passed out as soon as you did." Takato mumbled softly.

Sora gently stroked her sleeping Digimon's forehead and then looked back at Takato with teary eyes. "Thank you." She turned to Guilmon. "Both of you."

"You're welcome but next time you say thank you don't hit me in the nose first!"

Sora gave a watery chuckle. "You're a cutie, you know that?" she said, gently rubbing Guilmon's head. He smiled, purring in delight. "You remind me a lot of Agumon…" she said sadly.

Takato's head shot up. "You know a Tamer with an Agumon?" he asked excitedly.

Sora cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah…"

"Oh, man that's cool! I've never even seen an Agumon, well except on the show and even then it was cool because Agumon was totally the inspiration for Guilmon, well him and Flamedramon and Meramon, but still that is so awesome with the Greymon and the MetalGreymon, unless he digivolves into RizeGreymon, does he?"

"Erm…I…" Sora blinked a few times in response

"But that still doesn't mater cause they're both SOOO COOL!! Aww, man Kazu and Kenta aren't going to believe this…" Takato looked up to see Sora staring at him like he had just turned purple.

"Umm…so I never got your name!" Takato said, trying to get away from his open display of geekiness.

"Oh, yeah, I'm Sora. Sora Takenouchi."

Takato suddenly froze and stared at her for the longest time, occasionally glancing at Yokomon and then back at her. "You're Sora…"

"Yes…" Sora said.

"Sora Takenouchi?"

"Yeah…"

"…Sora."

"Yeah!"

"From Odaiba?"

"YES!"

"With a Biyomon?"

"DUH!"

"Who knows a guy…with an Agumon as a partner?"

"Where are you going with this?" Sora asked annoyed

"Um…can I see you Digivice?"

She wordlessly passed it over, rolling her eyes. He looked at the digivice, then at a card he produced from his pocket, then back at the digivice then at Sora then at Yokomon then at the card then at the digivice then at Yokomon and then at Sora.

"You're…Sora." He said in an awed tone.

"Look is that a problem?" Sora asked, frowning and putting her hands on her hips.

"Ooh! There it is!" Takato said, jumping gleefully. "The frowny face! I remember that one! Classic! But if you're here that must mean…" he stared vacantly ahead for a moment then burst out grinning. "I'm here too…then we're here…"

"Wow, you're smart." She said, sarcastically.

"But that means that Tamer with an Agumon is…" he touched his goggles subconsciously and then let out a wild cheer. "Oh, Kazu is definitely not going to believe this…"

"Okay, don't take this the wrong way but you are the weirdest little kid I have ever met!" Sora sighed, throwing her arms up in disgust.

Takato raised a hand and covered his mouth. "Ooh! I should probably keep my mouth shut about this…"

"About what?" Sora demanded. "And how do you know who I am?"

"Uhh…I don't?" he said hopefully.

Sora just sighed. "Whatever…" she said, sitting down beside Yokomon. Suddenly a thought struck her. "Hey!" she cried looking at Guilmon. "You're the Rookie version of that big metal Digimon that polished off Leviamon, right?"

"You mean WarGrowlmon?" Guilmon asked, thoughtfully tapping his chin.

"Yeah! So why don't you get all big and bad and break us out of here?" Sora looked at Takato hopefully.

Takato sighed. "I wish I could. They took my D-Arc when they threw us in here."

Sora looked down at her Digivice sadly. "Then…why didn't they take mine?"

"Because our organization has no use for junk like that…"

Sora whipped around to see Lilithmon perched atop a broken TV camera, examining her Nazar Nail lazily. She looked up as if she just noticed them and flourished her claw in mock salute.

"How…how long have you been here?" Takato asked. Guilmon was now growling in low, dangerous tones.

"Long enough, fanboy." She giggled softly as Takato turned beet red. "My Evil God, you must feel like a Trekkie on board the Enterprise right now…"

"What did you mean, "junk like this?" Sora asked, flourishing her broken digivice.

"Well a digivice that doesn't work is hardly worth taking from you." Lilithmon rolled her eyes. "We figured it had sentimental value so we let you keep it."

"So it is broken…what if it starts working again?" Sora asked, feeling braver. "Then you guys are screwed!"

Lilithmon threw her head back and the room echoed with her high, girlish laughter. "Hee hee…get it working again…ha ha…as if you could fix it…HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" she wiped a tear away from her eye as her laughter subsided. "Whew! That was a good one."

"What's so funny?" Sora asked, feeling fear creep into her stomach. "Why are you laughing at me?"

Lilithmon looked at Sora with patronizing eyes. "Sweetie, it's not the digivice that's broken; it's you."

Sora's eyes widened in confusion. "What do you mean? Why am I broken?"

Lilithmon rolled her eyes again. Before Sora could blink, Lilithmon was right in front of her, Nazar Nail hovering inches above her heart. "Your Crest has gone dead." She said, lightly running the claw over her chest, smirking at Sora's revolted reaction.

"My…crest. I gave that up to free Azulongmon."

Sora screamed as Lilithmon grabbed her hair and slammed her face into the wall. Her claw was at her throat, slowly squeezing the air out of her.

"SORA!" Takato cried, scrambling up and rushing at Lilithmon. She reached her other hand out and caught the boy and brought him up beside Sora. Then she leaned in close to them. "Never…speak…that…name…again…" she hissed, with each word tightening her grip on their throats. Just as Sora was about to pass out, she was thrown on the ground beside Takato, coughing and gasping for breath.

"And for your information you _stupid, stupid _little girl, your crest has, and always will be a part of you, _til death do you part_!" Sora flinched at that last statement. Lilithmon raised an eyebrow. "What? What was that about?"

"Nothing…" Sora lied, looking down.

Lilithmon looked at her for a moment before flashing an evil grin. "Oh…you didn't." Sora said nothing as Lilithmon cackled, clapping her hand against her claw. "Oh my Evil God…you thought he was going to ask you to marry him, didn't you?" Sora shook her head as a few rebellious tears escaped her shut eyes. "Mrs. Sora Ishida…that's a good one…" Lilithmon mocked. "What, you thought you could tame the rolling stone? You thought he'd give up the fame, fortune and available groupie tail to be your precious hubby?"

"Please…stop…" Sora sobbed.

"Let me guess…spring wedding…"

"Stop it…"

"Pink and gold bridesmaid's dresses…"

"Stop…"

"Small ceremony behind Primary Village? That sound about right?"

"SHUT UP!!" Sora screamed covering her ears.

"Oh honey!" Lilithmon called in an eerily perfect rendition of Matt's voice. "I'm home!" She fluttered her eyelashes, spinning her skirts around. "Oh, hi _snookums!" _she was Sora now. "How was your day?"

"Well we laid down the studio bass tracks and they're sounding just _swell!_" Matt said

"Oh that's just wonderful pookie-bear!" Sora sang sweetly while Sora sobbed behind her.

"Leave her alone, Lilithmon…" Takato growled.

"How're the kids doing?" Matt was back as Lilithmon slid across the floor in a rolling chair and stopped right in front of Sora.

"Just peachy!" Mrs. Ishida said in her sing song Sora voice "I Looooooooooooooove you, honey bear!"

"And I love you…NOT!" Matt said before Lilithmon burst out giggling. Then the strangest thing happened. As Sora cried her heart out on the floor, a dark mist began collecting around her. Lilithmon waved a claw through the mist, breathing it in, reveling in the taste of it. She reached out a claw to touch the girl's forehead…

"I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE!" Takato was on his feet, fists clenched, eyes brimming with anger.

"Hark! The Gogglehead speaks! Pay heed!" Lilithmon glided over, knocking Takato to the ground and hovering an inch above his face. "Who are you to give advice on love, Goggle Boy?" she fished a sock out of nowhere and stuck it on her hand in a crude puppet. Her eyes got big and fake tears welled up in the. "Oh…Takato…" she sobbed. Takato's throat closed up at the sound of the voice. "How…how could you? You did _that _to Guilmon…I can't even look at you anymore!" Lilithmon gave a few fake sobs as tears slid soundlessly from Takato's eyes. She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. "If she couldn't even look at you long enough to speak to you," Lilithmon's eyes turned purple and her voice changed again. "What makes you think I would?"

She pulled Takato and Sora on either side of her. "When are you humans going to learn…_Love,_" she hissed in Sora's ear. "Is the worst joke in the world. It only gets in the way what we all _really _want" The Lady of Lust squeezed both of their backsides playfully, feeling them squirm in disgust before strolling away, humming to herself.

Takato pulled himself up, wiping his eyes as Sora's sobs had subsided to sniffles and involuntary gasps. "She's right…" Sora whispered.

"NO!" Takato grabbed her by the shoulders and met her tearstained eyes with his. "Don't you listen to a word she says. She's a liar and a fiend. She's a loveless beast from the darkest corner of Hell and mother of everything evil. _Don't you listen to her!_"

"But…"Sora's eyes were beset by another wave of tears. "I-I did want a spring wedding…with the bridesmaid dresses behind Primary village and everything…" she broke down again. "I r-really thought h-he was going to ask me to…to spend the rest of his life with him…he said he had good news but…it was just to say it was part of his stupid band…" Sora sighed, sniffling and hiccupping. "All I got was a letter…"

Takato looked at her, confused. "Matt broke up with you?"

Sora looked up again. "How…did you know his name was Matt?"

"Err…Lilithmon mentioned it in her little tirade there." Takato said nervously.

"Well…yeah." Sora sighed. "It was always the band first…two birthdays, three anniversaries and one lousy Christmas…it's always been the band first…" Sora sniffled. "No one's coming for us, are they?"

"Don't think like that!" Takato said softly. "There's got to be someone out there who cares about you!"

"Like who?" Sora asked.

"Well…" Takato chose his words carefully. "What about your friend with the Agumon?"

"Tai?" Sora seemed to consider this for a second before smiling at Takato. "You know, when you pulled me up from that chasm, it reminded me of a time when Tai got me out of a pretty bad spot…"

"The Prisoner in the Pyramid…" Takato mumbled.

"What's that?"

"See? He's come through for you in the past! I'm sure he's on his way right now!"

"Now that I think about it…" Sora said thoughtfully. "Tai's always been there for me. I mean…nah."

"What?"

"It's stupid…" Sora said, shaking her head

"Tell me." Takato said easily, stroking Guilmon's sleeping head.

"Well…" Sora sighed. "There was this one time when we were kids, maybe six or seven at the time…Tai invited me over to play soccer with him and his friends. And I was so excited…but when I got there, they wouldn't let me play because I was a girl; never mind the fact I could have hammered them into the ground. And…I'll never forget this…Tai walks up and says "If you won't let her play, I quit!" and they were falling all over themselves because Tai was their ringer and everything so they start apologizing and begging us to play but by that time Tai just took my hand and we went off to play a little one on one." Sora smiled, wiping her eyes. "You know what, Takato? I think you're right. Our friends won't let us rot here!"

"Atta girl!" Takato said. "I bet they're cruising up here as we speak!" He smiled. "There's no need to panic…"

* * *

"PANIC!! EVERYONE START PANICKING!!"

A gust of fire sailed past Tai's head as he got his first look at a Demon Lord. Daemon was larger than he remembered (that much was clear). He stood taller than a three story building, snarling fangs dripping saliva, massive, hairy purple arms conjured up another fireball.

"CHAOS FLARE!" The demon bellowed, shooting another arc of fire over Greymon's head, destroying a building as he did. A piece of rubble tumbled down and came hurtling towards, Nefertimon.

"KARI!!" T.K cried.

"DIGI-MODIFY!" Henry cried, swiping a card. "WARGREYMON'S BRAVE SHIELD ACTIVATE!!"

Gargomon dove in front of Kari, golden shield materializing and catching the rock as it shattered. Gargomon looked back. "All right?"

"Peachy." Nefertimon replied dryly. "Rosetta Stone!" the attack collided with Daemon who howled in rage.

"RAAAGH!!" Daemon said

"Not much for the conversation, is he?" Davis remarked.

"Nah, he prefers to kill first and not bother asking questions later." Ryo responded. "Wormmon, digiolve!"

"You got it! Wormmon digivolve to…"

"Wait!" Ryo held up a hand and stopped his digivolution. "Digi-Modify! Armor Duplication Activate! Digi-Egg of Courage!"

"Wha?" Davis asked as his D-Terminal began to glow. Without warning, a Digi-Egg of Courage spat itself out and skidded to a stop in front of Ken.

"Use it!" Ryo cried, already using another Power card.

"But…that's not my crest…" Ken said.

"It doesn't matter!" Ryo called. "We need Shadramon!"

Ken and Wormmon shared a confused look. "Ryo's never steered us wrong before…" Wormmon said. "Let's do it!"

Ken held the foreign Digi-Egg up and everyone who wasn't actively engaging Daemon watched to see what happened. "DIGIARMOR ENERGIZE!"

At first, nothing happened and for one horrible moment, Ryo thought he might have been wrong. But then Wormmon started to glow and that beam of light grew and shifted.

"Wormmon digivolve to…" The light burst and a large, red moth man hovered in his place. His exoskeleton was decorated with flames and his arms were capped with claws much like Flamedramon. He flexed his new arms and legs experimentally before jumping into the air. "Shadramon!"

"Unbelievable!" Izzy cried. "He used Davis' Digi-Egg!"

"Shadramon…" Ken breathed in awe

Shadramon looked down at Ken. "I'll take it from here." He said, soaring off. Daemon chuckled.

"LITTLE…BUG…CAN NOT STOP DAEMON!!" Daemon roared.

"Well, would you look at that!" Shadramon crowed. "It talks!"

"Maybe it can sing and dance, too." Halsemon remarked.

"RRRRRAAAAAGH!!"

Shadramon twitched an antenna. "Ragh? That's it?" he crossed his limbs and shook his head. "Sad, my friend."

"ME…SQUASH…BUG!!" Daemon blindly swiped a claw which simply tore through the building Shadramon stood on.

"Psychic Wave!" Shadramon flapped his wings rapidly and a pulsing, hypnotic wave hit Daemon in the eyes.

"GAARRRGH!!" Daemon screamed. "WHERE BUG GO??"

"Right here!" Shadramon said, flitting in front of his face

"Gargh!" Daemon swiped blindly

"Oops, missed."

"Rargh!"

"Missed again!"

"Geaow!!"

"Are you naturally this bad at fighting or do you take lessons?"

"ME KILL BUG!!"

"Shadramon! What are you doing?" Rika cried. "You're making him…" she trailed off as she caught sight of the power plant Shadramon was being forced back into. "SHADRAMON!!" Rika screamed. "Keep taunting him!"

Shardamon looked back and nodded in realization. "So, Daemon, are you normally this hideous or did you doll yourself up just for little old me?" Daemon bellowed in rage, spewing fire as he did.

"You're perpetuating a stereotype, you know that?" Shadramon sighed, dancing towards the power generators. "Horns? Wings? Breath of fire? That's exactly what they expect you'll do. You're a discredit to demons everywhere!"

"BUG WILL SHUT UP!!" Daemon howled, crawling forward, feeling the ground and trying to find Shadramon who had taken his position above the generator.

"Getting warmer…warmer…warmer…Hot! Red hot!"

Daemon grinned. "FOUND YOU." He raised a claw back and with all his strength drove his claw forward as Shadramon darted sideways.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGHHHHHH!" Demon howled in agony as ten million volts suddenly coursed through his body. He screamed in anguish, trying to pry his hand out of the twisted metal power source but the metal had dug into his hand and he was stuck.

All over the city, lights went out as Daemon breathed his last and disappeared into a cloud of data.

Ryo quickly slid a blank card in the D-Tainor as the data coursed through the air and consolidated in the device. There was the usual burst of light and Daemon's twisted visage was permanently fixed, staring helplessly up with frozen limbs, petrified wings and ink eyes, flashing with anger.

* * *

"So what did Lilithmon say to you?"

Takato looked away from Sora, staring blankly at the wall. She reached out and put a hand on his arm. "It's okay, Takato." She reassured him. "You don't have to-"

"There was this girl." Takato said suddenly. "And for the longest time I had this thing for her…but then…" he took a deep, shuddering breath. "There was this Digimon in the Digiworld and…he destroyed her partner so I…tried to get Guilmon to digivolve to mega…" he looked sadly at the sleeping Digimon. "It went wrong. And after that, Jeri, that was the girl…she looked at me like I was some kind of…monster." Takato said softly. "I really liked her and she couldn't even look at me."

Sora squeezed his hand. "Her loss." She said softly.

"Then…well…never mind."

"What?"

"It's stupid…"

"Tell me." She said firmly.

Takato took a deep breath. "Well another friend of mine…her name's Rika…she kinda helped me get my mind off Jeri. I mean Rika is like totally the opposite of Jeri, too…so it was really surprising to me when…well I…you see…"

"You started to have feeling for Rika." Sora surmised.

"Yeah…but it doesn't matter." Takato said, looking down. "I'm just her friend and that's all I'll ever be. Just a "stupid Gogglehead. I guess I should be happy with that…"

"Takato…"

He turned to Sora. "Sometimes just being friends is worse than not speaking to each other at all. To be this close," he indicated with his thumb and forefinger. "And not touch. It's awful; like Tantalus."

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"I just remember this Greek myth about this guys named Tantalus. He offended the gods so he was put in a pool of water that he couldn't drink and under a tree full of delicious fruit he could never eat. It's worse than being put in a room with no food or water because no matter how hard you try to forget the fruit is there you can't help reaching for it."

Sora smiled. "You're a sweet kid, Takato." He blushed. "Rika would be an idiot not to see that…"

"Who are you to tell him that?"

Sora looked up again to see Lilithmon again accompanied by an old looking man in wizard's garb with a staff. He stroked his beard thoughtfully as he looked the two over.

"Hello, Pot?" Lilithmon mimed a phone "This is Kettle calling. You're black."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

Lilithmon rolled her eyes for the thousandth time that day. "As if you don't know "Cookie Girl"

Sora shook her head. "You are one crazy bitch, you know that?"

"Well sticks and stones…" She trailed off before turning to her partner. 'Which one, Barbamon?"

Barbamon stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The girl."

"Right, then, love." Lilithmon said, moving towards them. "You're coming with me!"

"No!" Takato cried but it was too late. Lilithmon slammed Takato into the wall as Barbamon dragged Sora and Yokomon out, kicking and screaming Guilmon charged Lilithmon but the Demon Lady merely chained him to the floor with a flick of the wrist.

"Bring her back!" Takato screamed. "Let her go!"

"Why?" Lilithmon pouted. "Are you lonely already? But I brought another friend for you to play with…"

She threw Takato down and the Goggleheaded Tamer found himself staring at pair of feet. Eyes traveling up, he found himself staring at a strong, shapely pair of legs, crossed at the knee and attached to a firm butt that was seated on a bed that had somehow appeared out of nowhere. His eyes glided up over her creamy pink skin (he blushed scarlet as he realized the girl was clad in only a purple bra and matching panties), ruby red lips until meeting her lavender eyes. She ran her hands through her tousled, crimson locks as she smiled seductively, leaning back on the bed

"R-Rika?" he gasped as he felt her arms pull him up to her level and softly kiss his neck.

"Hello, Goggleboy." She smiled against his skin.

"What's going on here?" he asked as she continued to kiss his skin. "H-h-how d-d-did you get here? W-w-what are you doing?" He wanted to get up and tear after Sora and Barbamon but…his head felt fuzzy and a strange heat made him feel very…contented.

"What do you think?" Rika whispered, flipping him onto his back and pulling his shirt off over his head. "Is there a problem with that?"

_Yes, there's a problem with that!! _Takato's rational mind was screaming. _Since when was Rika so…touchy feely? _

_WHO CARES!! _Takato's irrational mind chipped in. _It's RIKA in bikini on a bed! Let's not look this gift horse in the mouth!_

_But Lilithmon is a Succubus! _

_A wha?_

_You know; a demon of Lust! She's tricking you into lounging around with this…thing while she kills the real Rika! And what about Sora? _

_Dude, neither the real Rika nor the real Sora is half naked and biting my ear right now. _

_ARGH!! You're so one-dimensional!! Lilithmon's playing on our fantasies to corrupt us! She's trying to turn you evil!_

_If this is Hell then sign me up!_

"Is there a problem, Goggles?" "Rika" repeated, running a hand through his hair.

What Takato wanted to say was this.

"YES!! YES THERE IS A PROBLEM!! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM?! WHEN DID YOU START GETTING ALL…AFFECTIONATE?! GET OFF ME!! I NEED TO SAVE MY FRIENDS!!"

What he actually said was something like this.

"Nargh…" Takato said, dreamily.

"I'll give you some privacy. Have fun, you two!" Lilithmon started walking away. "Oh, Rika?"

"Rika" stopped kissing Takato's stomach and turned around. "Yes,mistress?"

"I need his essence when you're done with him. He may not have a crest like the others, but he does have a strong spirit. Strong…but still only human."

"Wha's that about the essence thing?" Takato mumbled.

"Rika leaned down and pressed her lips against his, holding it for a few seconds before drawing back. "Nothing, Gogglemon." She whispered

"Oh…m'kay."

Lilithmon locked the door, chuckling to herself. "Have fun, Takato…while you still can…"

* * *

"Devimon!"

"Please…_Ice_Devimon."

"Etamon! Regular and Metal!"

"Try dealing with evil Digimon popping up every time you take a walk."

"Myotismon! He was fierce!"

"Ever heard of the Devas? Twelve ultimate Digimon hell bent on destroying the human race. Top that!"

"Digimon Emperor! No offense, Ken…"

"Yamaki and Hypnos. Tried to destroy every Digimon in our world!"

"Dark Masters! You wouldn't have lasted three seconds against Piedmon!"

"We pissed off a Digimon Sovereign!!"

TK took a step back. "Really?"

Henry nodded. "AND an evil program that deleted everything in sight!"

"Wow…"

Rika rolled her eyes as T.K and Henry's discussion of who had to face tougher villains had turned into an all out word brawl as the team walked on in relative silence. She and Tai headed the pack while the others followed at their own pace. She turned to him to see him staring across the bay at the Fuji building. "How many Demon Lords left?" he asked.

"Four." Rika stated.

Tai took a deep breath. "Are they all as bad as Daemon?"

Rika shook her head. "No, Tai. Daemon was nothing. The other four are worse. They're much, _much _worse."

_AN: WHEW! Long, violent, angsty and kinda naughty towards the end. If there's any confusion, Rika (the real one) is with Tai and the others. Sora's with Barbamon and Takato's in heaven :) BUT FOR HOW LONG?! Next time; Matt returns, Tai yells at him, Barbamon messes with Sora's head, Takato begins to suspect something and the Demon of Sloth awakens…_


	8. Daemon's Revenge

Chapter Seven: Daemon's Revenge

AN: I'm going to take a break from all the sex and violence to do some…character development! (GASP) I felt that the team was still a little disjointed so I think we need to have a little…ahem…"group therapy session" Do a little Breakfast Club stuff.

_Anger is short-lived madness. Horace_

"Stop following me, Ken!"

"How can I not? You're leading us!"

"Ken, tell Yolei to stop snapping her gum like that! It's driving me nuts!"

"Hey, don't you start on her!"

"I'll stop snapping when you stop singing show tunes!"

"It's a nervous habit! That gum thing annoys me!"

"Your entire existence, annoys me, lamebrain!"

"Who're you calling lamebrain, lamebrain?"

"You!"

"Oh yeah?"

"YEAH!"

"OH YEAH?!""YEAH!!"

"ALRIGHT!! THAT'S IT!" Rika stormed. "WILL YOU TWO NIMRODS CEASE YOUR INCESSANT BICKERING!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, IT'S LIKE TRAVELING WITH A BUNCH OF FIVE YEAR OLDS!!"

"Oh excuse me, Your Highness" Davis sneered. "Wer'st we a'bothering you, my liege?"

"How could you not?" Rika called, rolling her sleeves up and cracking her knuckles.

"Guys!" Ryo said, stepping through the crowd and saving Davis from a thrashing at the hands of an angry Rika. "Cut it out! Don't you see? Don't you get it?"

"Get what?" Tai asked. "Why is everyone so irritable?"

"It's the mist!" Ryo explained. "Daemon's data left an impression on the mist! He's the demon of Wrath so everyone's losing their tempers!" Everyone just calm down!" Davis and Yolei glared at each other but shut up. Suddenly, a pained howl filled the air."

"Yeow! Watch where you're stepping, catgirl!" Terriermon howled as Gatomon treaded on his ears.

"Well it's not my fault you have big goofy ears!!" Gatomon snapped back.

Terriermon whipped around. "What did you say?"

"Big…Goofy…EARS!!" Gatomon enunciated

"Okay, that's it!" Terriermon said, launching himself at Gatomon. The two fell into a howling, yowling ball of fur, punching and kicking and biting as they rolled around on the ground.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Kari said, grabbing Gatomon by the tail and hoisting her off of Terriermon.

"Momentai, Terriermon!!" Henry cried, puling the agitated rabbit away.

"I'M FRESH OUT OF MOMENTAI, HENRY!!" Terriermon screeched, trying to worm his way out of Henry's grip. "ALL I GOT LEFT IS SLOW…BURNING…RAGE!!"

"Oh no Kari, protect me!" Gatomon squealed sarcastically. "Save me from Dumbo!!"

"GAAAAHHH!!" Terriermon kicked off of Henry's chest and launched himself at Gatomon, knocking Kari and Gatomon over.

"Hey!" TK said, grabbing Henry's shirt. "Control your Digimon!"

"Me? Control your woman!" Henry said, shoving TK

"WHAT?!" TK struck at Henry but the martial artist parried it with expert ease.

"Guys!" Tai said, getting between the two of them. "Break it up!"

"_Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" _

"Stop it Davis!" Yolei bellowed.

"_Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious!" _Davis pressed on, glaring at Yolei.

"Cut it out!" Cody cried.

"That's enough!" Joe was saying. "Let's all just calm down!"

"Stop it!" Mimi screeched. "Just look at yourselves! You're behaving like animals!"

"Well, soooorrry, Princess Mimi!" TK retorted harshly. "We're not as kindly and gentile, as you are, you spoiled little brat!"

"TK…" Mimi gasped, eyes welling up. "You don't mean that…"

"Oh look at me!" TK said, prancing around. "I'm Mimi! I'm so pretty and popular and I know all the right clothes to wear! Everybody loves me but for some reason I still act like a whiny spoiled little BRAT!!"

"T…K…" Mimi sniffled. "What's happening to you? You're not like this!"

"Oh it's so hot!" he cried, fanning himself with an imaginary hat. "My feet hurt! I need a glass of water! I missed my massage! Does my hair look alright? I feel faint! Do they have espresso in the Digiworld? I need my caffeine! AHHH! I broke a nail! Who cares about the Digital World? MY SOAP IS ON!!"

"TK…" Mimi sobbed. "Stop it…"

"LOL, I'm dating Izzy! Maybe if I hang around him long enough, my I.Q will raise enough to register!"

_BAM! _

TK fell back as Izzy decked him with more strength than TK thought he had. Before he could get up, Izzy's hand was at his collar and he was shaking the younger boy roughly.

"She's a whiny little brat?! SHE'S A WHINY LITTLE BRAT?!" He yelled. "She didn't cry every time she stubbed her toe or fell down LIKE YOU DID! She didn't go all castrati whenever Kari got a hangnail, LIKE YOU DID! "Oh, Kari! Are you okay? Do you need anything? Drink? Chocolate? Can I carry you so you don't have to walk? BACK OFF, TAKERU!!"

"Let go Izzy!" Ken said, trying to pull Izzy off.

"Stay out of this, Your Highness!" he snarled at Ken, who faltered for a second. "Don't you have a Control Spire to erect or some Digimon to enslave?"

"Guys! Get off of me!" Kari cried as the Digimon continued to brawl on top of her.

"Leave him alone, Izzy!" Yolei cried

"HARK!" Izzy held a hand up to his ear sarcastically. "The Digidestined of Annoyance speaks!"

"Leave Yolei out of this…" Ken whispered dangerously.

"Tell me, Yolei, what wisdom does the ugly duckling have for us to-"

Ken sacked Izzy with a cry of rage and dragged him and TK to the ground. TK got loose and punched Ken who bit Izzy who kicked TK. The three of them rolled around, kicking biting and yelling. Ryo tried to pull them apart but caught a kick from TK. Howling in pain, he dropped an elbow on TK's head

And then all Hell broke loose…

"_If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious!" _

"RRAAAGH!" Yolei tackled Davis

"_Super…cali…fragil…istic…expi…ali…docious!" _Davis finished as Yolei tried to choke them

"CUT IT OUT!" Tai yelled, pulling TK off of Ryo.

"Yeah, knock it off you guys!" Rika said, pulling them to their feet.

"Oh, and now the love struck losers are going to preach to us." Ryo said sarcastically.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, the Rusted Wheel, Taichi Kamiya! Give him a hand, folks! He still can't get over the fact that Sora chose my brother over him!" TK said, clapping dramatically.

"And let's not forget his lovely assistant, Rika Nonaka!" Ryo added. "She irrationally holds on to the hope that the sweet, loveable little Gogglehead, Takato Matsuki will see past her tough demeanor and see her for what she really is…A COLD…HARD…BITCH!"

"GAAGH!" Rika kicked Ryo's legs out and threw him to the ground, pounding on his chest repeatedly.

"She's got a personality only a mother could love!" Ryo was at it again, trying to fend off Rika's blows. "OH! WAIT! I FORGOT! SHE DOSEN'T!!"

"SHUT UP!!" Rika half screamed, half sobbed as she continued to pummel the living daylights out of Ryo. "JUST SHUT YOUR GODDAMNED MOUTH, AKIYAMA!!"

"Guys…" Kari was still pleading with the Digimon wrestling on top of her. "Get off!"

. The Digimon were frozen in fear as their humans were devolving in front of them into hideous animals. They were fighting like dogs, biting like wildcats and cruelly mocking each other like only humans could.

"I'm Mimi and if it's not on E News! I don't know about it!"

"MWAHAHA! BOW DOWN TO THE DIGIMON EMPEROR!! I'M DEALING WITH TEENAGE ANGST BY TAKING OVER THE DIGIWORLD!! BWAHAHAHA!!"

"Kari! Are you OK? Did the wind mess up your hair? Is the sun too bright? I'll turn it down for you"

"OMG! BOYS! I LOVE BOYS! I'm going out with Ken but that doesn't stop me from gushing over every guy that crosses my path!"

"Prodigious! It seems like I've devised a serum that will make me attractive to women! HOW ELSE IS MIMI GOING TO NOTICE ME?!"

"Sora!! SOOOOORA!! WHY WON'T YOU LOVE ME?!"

"You're one to talk Davis! You've been carrying the torch for my sister since THIRD GRADE!! TAKE THE HINT!!"

"Ooh, a basket of puppies! Clobber them, Renamon! We'll put their pelts next to our dead baby seals that we sacrificed to the Shrine of Takato!!"

Mimi, Henry, Joe and Cody watched as their friends tore each other to shreds.

And then it happened. Somewhere in the midst of all this cursing, yelling, kicking and screaming, everyone seemed to hear what Kari said. How this happened, they were never sure but for some reason Kari's voice cleared the petty, feeble squabbling and reached everyone's ears. Six words and a sound all stopped them cold

"Get…off…me…" Kari growled at Terriermon "YOU…LITTLE…RUNT!!"

_Slap! _

Terriermon fell back from the force of Kari's blow, bouncing on the ground and skidding a couple feet before landing facedown. Everyone froze in mid punch, grab, choke and every insult died in their throats as they all looked at Terriermon.

Terriermon shakily raised a paw and gingerly touched the cheek that Kari slapped, looking at the fuming Kari with wide watery eyes. Kari just sat there, breathing hard and glaring at the little bunny. Then, as her breathing returned to normal, her angry eyed softened, then widened in shock. Her jaw that had been set now went loose, lip curling in ever so slightly. She glanced at her hand, still stinging and red from where she hit the little Digimon and then back at Terriermon who was picking himself up, fighting back a storm of sniffles and wiping his eyes on his big goofy ears.

"Terriermon…" Kari said, reaching her hand out. Terriermon flinched, scampering backwards, tripping over his ears and falling face down against the concrete. He crawled backwards, never taking his wide eyes off Kari as he looked around for Henry in the dense mist. Suddenly his partner scooped him up and held him against his chest, whispering something in his ear as Terriermon buried his head in the soft fabric of Henry's shirt.

"T-Terriermon…" Kari gasped, choking back a sob. "I didn't mean to…you were just…and I was…Terriermon…I'm-"

"Let's take a break." Henry said, cutting her off, turning away and walking towards an abandoned coffee house. "It's really starting to get dark and besides, I think we all need it."

* * *

The coffee house where they took refuge was roughly two stories high and big enough so they could spread out and be alone, except for Mimi and Izzy and Ken and Yolei. Kari had locked herself in a broom closet as soon as they had arrived and nothing Gatomon or TK could say would get her out. Joe was reworking Cody's sling, testing the boy's arm to see if it needed a splint while Mimi made coffee. Everybody was just staring vacantly into space, saying little and occasionally shooting glances at each other from across the hall.

Izzy had his head down on the table for the past half an hour, wishing he could just melt into it. Every time he thought of the ugly, disgusting things that slithered out of his mouth he wanted to be sick. How he could say such things to his friends, his _best _friends was beyond reproach. He was just disgusted with himself. Closing his eyes, he found himself uncontrollably shaking as silent, tearless sobs racked his body, knotting his stomach and making him cold and clammy.

Suddenly he felt a soft, cool hand place itself on the back of his warm neck as another hand laid a small cup of coffee in front of him. He sighed as Mimi slid in to the booth next to him, wrapping her arms around his shaking chest and laying a head on his shoulder. The trembling subsided and Izzy found his voice again.

"How could I have said those things, Mimi?" he whispered, eyes never leaving the polished wooden surface. "I can't believe I actually hit TK…I hit TK…" he shut his mouth as bile forced its way up from his stomach and threatened to make him sick. Mimi gently laid her hands against his feverish face and forced him to look at her.

"It's not your fault." She said, eyes brimming. "We were all going crazy out there. It's this damn mist…"

"You weren't." Izzy said, softly. "You were still trying to get everyone to calm down. Even when TK was saying those _awful _things…" Izzy's hands clenched

"No, no, no…" Mimi said, removing her hands from his face and taking his hands, unclenching them. "That's enough of that. We've had enough of that for today." She sighed, pulling his head in until his forehead rested on hers. "Let it go."

"But-'"

"Izzy, if you don't let this go then Daemon won after all." Her fingers lightly ran through his hair. "He's your friend. He's TK. He's that goofy little boy that we met eight summers ago. He's the goofy little teenager that worships the ground Kari walks on." Izzy chuckled despite himself. "He's our friend."

Izzy smiled, tearing up slightly. "What is it, Mimi?" he asked, twirling a strand of pink hair.

"What's what?"

"What is it that you like about me? I mean…you could have any rockstar, super athlete, underwear model you want and you settle for me?" he said, looking down. "I can't figure it out…"

She smiled dipping her head so she could look him in the eye. "Do you have to have a reason for everything?" With one move, she leaned up and gently captured his lips, smiling at the sudden intake of breath from Izzy. They had been dating for eight months and she loved the way it still shocked the hell out of him every time they kissed; she would sometimes just kiss him to see how flustered he got. She broke off, looking him in the eye. "Do you really want to know why?" he nodded. "Because…" she said seriously. "You're my lobster." Izzy laughed in spite of himself. Sora was fond of saying that they were "each other's lobster" whatever that meant. She got it off an American sitcom or something.

Izzy suddenly frowned. "How am I going to talk to TK…or Ken…or Yolei. My God, I actually called her ugly…"

"But she's not, and she knows that. That's what great about her; you can't insult her if it isn't true cause she'll call you on it every time." Mimi reassured. "Give them some time…oh and Izzy?"

"Yeah?"

"DID you invent a serum that made you attractive to girls?" she asked playfully. "Is that why I suddenly wanted to make out with you at Joe's party?"

"Maybe…"

* * *

"Crest of Courage. Agumon Warp Digivolves to WarGreymon." Henry said, crossing his arms and looking up at Rika who was staring through the board, vacantly. It had been Henry's idea to break out into a card game to try to snap Rika out of the funk Ryo had set her in. So far it wasn't working; Rika played apathetically, listlessly and without any enthusiasm whatsoever. Renamon silently sat at her side, holding Terriermon in her lap and an Ice Pack to his face. Tai, Davis, Ken, Cody, Joe and Yolei were watching their game with deep interest; Digimon perched on the other side of the table.

"Rika, it's your move." Henry said, eyeing her MetalGarurumon apprehensively.

"Huh?" she raised her head. "Oh…Defense Up." She said softly, laying a card down.

Henry blinked. "Are you sure that's it?"

"Yeah." She said

"…you don't want to attack?"

"No." she mumbled.

Henry shared a look with Renamon who leaned down to Rika's level. "Rika, I would suggest taking the offensive. He may be poised to take-"

"You're move, Henry." Rika said softly.

He glanced at Renamon again before sighing. "Okay then. Control Spire, Dark Spiral, DNA Digivolve. MetalGarurumon's on my side, he DNA Digivolves to Omnimon and he attacks you directly since you have no Digimon to defend you." Henry quickly calculated in his head. "Um…I think I just won." He said in awe. Rika stood up silently and wandered away from the table.

"I don't get it…" Henry mumbled. "The Control Spire Gambit is the oldest trick in the book, especially with two DNA compatible Digimon…"

"And Rika's usually good at this?" Hawkmon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The best." Renamon replied, casting a glance over her shoulder at her partner who was staring out the window, vacantly.

Rika stared out the window on to the street, not really seeing anything, just looking. For some reason that Rika couldn't understand, Ryo's harsh words ate at her. Sniffling slightly, she ground her teeth together and squeezed her eyes until the burning sensation went away. _Stop it. _She willed her self to fight back the tears. No one was ever around to comfort her so she learned just to bite back when she was in public and comfort herself later. But for some reason, the tears wouldn't stop this time. They rebelliously leaked out no matter how hard she squeezed her eyes shut.

"It's alright to cry, Rika."

"No it's not." she whispered. Renamon laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I can't cry now; it's not a good time."

"Rika, it's never a good time." Rika's jaw clenched as the last voice she ever wanted to hear again approached behind her.

"Screw off, Akiyama…" she muttered.

Ryo came up beside her, careful to stay out of striking distance. "Rika…about before…I didn't mean to…"

"I don't really care if you meant to or not." Rika snapped back. "The fact is, you did." Rika sniffed back a tear as she ground her eyes tighter. "But let's face it; you did mean it."

"Rika…" Ryo said.

"Go ahead; laugh it up. Come and mock the Ice Queen, she can't feel it! She had IceDevimon knocking at her door to be her partner!" Rika's shoulders shook with the force of holding back her sobs. "Laugh it up with your fan club, Kazu and Kenta. I'm sure they'll get a kick out of this…

"Rika…I didn't know you knew…"

"How could I not know?" she laughed bitterly. "You three aren't that subtle when it comes to whispering behind my back."

"We were just joking around! You know, being idiots. We don't really think you're Icy…" Ryo moved next to her, earning a warning glare from Renamon. "Rika, when we first met you were a nasty little girl…"

"If you're trying to cheer me up, you suck at it…"

"Let me finish. You were a nasty little girl but you changed over time. In the four years that I've known you you've really matured into a kind, thoughtful person. And I know why it is…" Ryo leaned in close enough to whisper. "And I know why you're going back a little right now. It's because _he's _not here." Rika blinked back a few rebellious tears. "He's been gone a few hours and you're already going to pieces…"

"I hate him…" she said suddenly, voice dripping with venom. "I really hate him."

"What?! Why?"

"Because…" Rika said, her voice quavering to Renamon's shock. "He screwed me up."

"What do you mean?" Renamon said. "Ever since you've known Takato you've been a totally new person, a better person."

"I was the toughest Tamer in the world before I met him…" she sniffled. "And now…I just feel so helpless whenever he's around. And whenever he's not." she drew a quivering breath. "It feels like I'm only half here. Like I'm incomplete." She snorted at the pile of bread, freshly baked that morning. "He even ruined bread for me."

"What?" Ryo laughed. "How'd he do that?"

Rika sighed. "A couple years ago, I started swinging by his bakery after school. Back then, he was still hung up on Puppet Girl...sorry, Jeri. As time wore on I would start helping him with his chores. I even got help him bake. Now...every time I smell Dutch Crunch or Sourdough or Cream Puffs...I think of him all dusted with flour, trying to show me how to work the pastry injector or choking down one of the burnt loaves I managed to churn out." Rika sniffed again "He totally made me useless."

Ryo shook his head. "You have a funny way of showing affection, you know?"

Rika glared at him out of the corner of her eye and went back to looking out the window. Ryo laid a hand on her shoulder. "Caring about other people doesn't make you useless; it makes you human. It's what separates us from Lucemon and his lot. Never forget that." With that he squeezed her shoulder lightly and turned walked away "Fancy going up against a _true _master, Henry?"

Rika rolled her eyes. "Oh dream on, Akiyama."

Ryo turned on his heels to face her. "I beat you once before, didn't I?"

"If the Digi-Egg of Sincerity hadn't come up, I would have eaten Hawkmon for lunch, that day." Rika said as Hawkmon gave an uncharacteristic squawk and shuffled his feathers indignantly as his friends laughed at him.

"Are you challenging me, my lady?" Ryo asked, sliding into Henry's seat.

Rika pulled out a card, laying it face up on the table. "I'll play vaccine if you'll play virus."

Ryo laid another one down. "Bring it."

* * *

"Kari…"

_Sniff, Sniff, Sniff_

"Kari, open the door…"

_Sniff, sniff, sniff. _

"Kari, it's Gatomon. Please come out, no one blames you for what happened."

_Sniff _

"Kari?"

Kari's voice caught in her throat as a small voice came over from the other side.

"Kari your friends are really worried about you. You want to come out? Hmm? Have a biscotti or something?"

Kari chuckled in spite of herself. He was just too cute when he said things like that. Reluctantly she opened the door to see TK scramble to his feet, sending Gatomon indignantly to the floor while Terriermon stood, looking up at her with big, dark eyes.

"It's ALIVE!" the little Digimon cried, throwing his arms up into the air. Kari bent down and took the little bunny in her arms, holding him close.

"Terriermon, I'm so so sorry." Kari said as the little bunny gently touched her cheek.

"Hey…" he said, smiling. "Mo-men-tai."

"Okay," Kari smiled. "I'll Momentai."

Kari looked up to see TK standing there awkwardly holding a tray of coffee with a couple cookies on the side.

"I thought, you know…you might like some coffee…" he trailed off, suddenly awkward.

Kari gently set Terriermon down next to Gatomon and took the tray from TK. Without warning she threw it sideways and threw her arms around his chest. "You're never going to leave me alone, are you?" she mumbled into his shirt.

TK laughed, kissing the top of her head. "Never."

"Everything work out alright, then?" Kari looked up to see Henry scooping up Terriermon.

"Yeah," TK said. "Everything's "Momentai"

Terriermon slapped his forehead. "That's not how you say it! Momentai means Take It Easy!"

"Okay, Okay!" TK said defensively.

Henry waved them over. "Come on. I think there's something upstairs that you might want to see…"

* * *

Angemon coughed and heaved, trying to catch his breath as the fiend slammed into him again. Wearily opening his eyes, he came face to face with a devil he thought he had destroyed.

Machinedramon laughed in fiendish delight. "Foolish angel to challenge the almighty Machinedramon. You and your friends gave a valiant struggle but ALL FOR NAUGHT!!" Machinedramon lowered his canon. "Now you will be EX-TER-MIN-AT-ED!!"

Angemon grinned and through the pain he chuckled darkly. What?" Machinedramon asked. "What's so funny?"

"You…forgot…about one thing." Angemon suddenly began to glow. "Crest of Hope!"

"NOOOO!" Machinedramon cried.

"Angemon warp Digivolve to….SERAPHIMON!!"

"NOOOOOOO!!" Machinedramon cried as the angel brought a fist down on his head, cracking the metal and puncturing his hard drive…

* * *

"NOOOOOOO!!" Ryo cried as Rika's Angemon deleted his Machinedramon.

"And that's how it's done…" Rika said, folding her arms.

"Awww, did we miss it?" Henry said, followed by TK and Kari. "What happened?"

"Rika's _stupid _Seraphimon destroyed my precious Machinedramon…." Ryo said, fake sobbing. "I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!!"

"Revenge nothing." Renamon said. "You're out of life and out of luck."

"Oh really?" Ryo said, drawing one last card. "Crest of Love!"

"NO!" Rika cried.

"That's right! All my fallen Digimon are back in the game and I get 500 life points back!"

"Why you…" Just then the D-Arcs went off. "Two mega level Digimon approaching!" she muttered, gathering her cards and scanning their data

"What?" Tai cried. "Two Demon Lords?"

"Open the Doors." Rika said to Henry.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Izzy cried. "You're going to get us all killed!"

"Maybe they'll just pass by!" Mimi said hopefully.

Henry opened the door and stuck his head out. "HEY!! WE'RE IN HERE!!" he waved three dark figures over. As they stepped through the mist, Tai let out a gasp. One was tall, lanky pale skinned Digimon wearing leather in almost all black and riding a motorcycle just as dark. His claws fidgeted with the straps of a biker's jacket and a pair of deadly looking sawed off shotguns bounced against his leg with every step. The other Digimon was a fearsome, proud looking Digimon that he could have recognized anywhere.

"MetalGarurumon!" TK cried as a human stepped off the bike and brushed his pants off.

"Hey guys!" Matt said, looking up at them. "Long time no see…"

"Who's that with you, Matt?" Tai asked

"Oh, just a friend I caught a ride with." Matt said, nonchalantly as if he hitched rides from pallid demons every day. "This big guy saved us from a bunch of those Mephistomon down by the bay.

Ryo came down the stairs, flashing a grin. "Everyone: Meet Beelzemon, Lord of Gluttony."

_AN: For those of you who didn't know, Beelzemon was good towards the end of Tamers. He IS here to help but it was important that he wasn't the Lord of Gluttony. R&R and I'll update as soon as I'm able!_

_Peace_

_DOTMW_


	9. Let Sleeping Demons Lie

_Chapter Eight: Let Sleeping Demons Lie _

_(Another Long One!) _

_AN: Quick note; the lobster reference from the last chapter was from Friends, Season 2. Just want to clear that up so Kauffman and Crane don't fly after me. Oh, and did anyone catch the Doctor Who reference in the last chapter? Brownie points for whoever did…_

_Snap! Hiss!_

_Glugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglug_

"Aaahhh…"

_Snap! Hiss!_

_Glugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglug_

"Ohhhh…that's good."

_Snap! Hiss! _

_Glugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglugglug_

"Mmmmmmmmm…."

The Digidestined stared in blank face shock as Beelzemon went through half a six pack of beer in less than twenty seconds, pausing only to cram another pastry in his mouth before washing it down with another bottle of alcohol.

"How many has he had by now?" Matt asked, leaning over the coffee table and whispering to Tai.

"I lost count a little while ago…he should be dead by now; ten twelve packs of beer in sixteen minutes…" Tai breathed in awe

"Not to mention the hard liquor he went through before." Izzy mentioned, "I don't want to even guess his blood alcohol level…"

"Well I'm not riding on his bike after this!" Davis said, crossing his arms. "He'll wrap it around a light pole!"

"I just wish he'd save some for the rest of us…" Veemon sighed, sadly watching Beelzemon pack in another loaf of bread. He polished the last bottle of brew, tossing the bottle through the window and leaning back, picking his teeth with a satisfied grin.

"Ahhh…one thing I will give you humans is that you sure know how to cook!" Beelzemon scanned the shop, grabbing a watermelon from behind the counter and eating it with gusto, rind and all.

"How did you even get here, Beelzemon?" Henry asked, raising a menu to shield himself from the flying seeds.

"Yer fthre snt meh!" Beelzemon said, spraying chunks of watermelon as he did

"Oh, Man!" Rika cried, picking a seed out of her hair. "We wanted the news, not the weather!"

Beelzemon let out a raucous burp. "Sorry. What I meant to say was your father sent me…" he indicated Henry

"Henry's dad?" Yolei asked, looking over the young man. "He knows about Digimon?"

Beelzemon threw his head back and laughed. "Knows about them? KNOWS ABOUT THEM?! Janyuu Wong helped create us!"

Instantly there was silence and all at once Henry felt twenty pairs of eyes staring at him like he was some kind of freak.

"What do you mean, created Digimon?" Ken asked, trying to process what Beelzemon just said. "How can anyone do that?"

"That's silly!" Gatomon said. "The beings who created he Digital world weren't human! They were programs! There was-"

"Shibumi, Tao, Babel, Daisy, Dolphin and Curly, Right?" Henry rattled off without missing a beat. "Sound about right?" Gatomon nodded. "Tao is my father."

"You're Tao's son?!" Agumon said incredulously.

"Will someone please explain what's going on here? I thought Digimon just came into being when the Digital Plain came into existence!" Izzy said

"We haven't been fully honest with you…" Renamon said. "We lied when we said we lived in the third quadrant. The truth is…we live in the first. The original Digital World."

"So the Demon Lords didn't cross the boundaries…" Matt said. "They were in your world all along."

"You know about the Demon Lords?" TK asked his brother.

"Yeah, Beelzemon filled me in. At first, I didn't trust him but he really saved our lives…" He said, looking down at a sleeping Tsunamon.

"Zhuqiaomon gave me my life back…" Beelzemon said gravely. "He forgave me in return for my loyalty. I'm not about to forget that."

"I still don't get it." Matt said shaking his head before turning it to Henry. "How could your father have created Digimon?"

Henry stared down at the table. "Back in the 80's in Palo Alto, California, my dad was part of a team doing research in Artificial Intelligence. Through the University of Palo Alto as Head quarters and with funding from a private Japanese company, they started designing programs that could adapt to their surroundings at will. Programs that could think, feel…even imagine. In time, they assigned little Avatars to each program. They the project was called the Data Intelligence Grading Index Mastering in Online Nanotechnology." He said, writing out the words on a napkin. "D.I.G.I.M.O.N. In time, they joked that the codename stood for "Digital Monsters," and themselves, the "Monster Makers." Henry looked down. "They named them after things that seemed familiar. For example, California is close to Mexico and in Spanish, the word for cat is _gato." _He said looking at Gatomon who stared back, awestruck. "So the "Cat Monster" program was renamed the "Gato Monster" which was shortened to…"

"Gatomon…" Gatomon said softly. "Incredible…"

Henry went on "In time, the programs got too advanced for the Monster Makers to control. They began to be able to reason complexly, think un-analytically. There were even instances of programs sacrificing their own existence to save another's. By this point, AI stood for actual intelligence, instead of artificial. Then the Japanese company went belly up and the Digimon Project was cancelled. By then, they had created a parallel plain of existence that transcended even the boundaries that divided realities." Henry looked up. "Which brings us here. Now."

Beelzemon took over. "Tao told me that in the earliest days of the system, there were seven malignant programs that continued to wreak havoc despite the Monster Makers' best efforts to control them…or should I say us…" Beelzemon said, indicating himself. "True, I was one of the programs that gave the Monster Makers so much grief."

"Who created you?" Ken asked. "Surely Tao and the others didn't introduce you into the system…"

"The origin of virus Digimon is still, to this day, a mystery." Renamon supplied. "They may have been web viruses that mutated once they attacked the Digital Plain or they may have been Data types that went bad or became corrupted. Once Virus types showed up, the Monster makers introduced Vaccine types to combat them."

"Back to my point," Beelzemon said "The seven of us were branded the Seven Demon Lords and we were sealed away in cyberspace by all powerful firewalls." Beelzemon dug in his jacket and produced a blackened tag on the end of a chain. A strange, purple symbol glowed with malignant light "The Dark Crests; the source of all our power as well as our biggest handicap. These things give us abilities beyond that of regular virus types but at the same time limit us from causing too much havoc by tying us to the existence of the Digiworld."

"So they stopped you from destroying the Digiworld by making your lives dependant on its survival…" Izzy said. "Prodigious…" Suddenly, there was a chorus of growling stomachs as everyone began eyeing the remaining food greedily.

"PUT THAT AWAY!!" Terriermon cried. As Beelzemon stuffed his crest away, the feeling left them and they all stared at Beelzemon in shock.

"Exposure to the Dark Crests eventually takes its toll on humans." Beelzemon nodded. "I'm surprised that carrying Daemon and Leviamon's essences hasn't turned you into jealous, angry wretches by now."

Everyone turned red with shame, avoiding one another's gaze. "It almost did…" Ryo said, sadly.

Beelzemon looked at Ryo with sudden worry. "You still have the cards?" Ryo handed them over, wordlessly, not daring to look at them. Beelzemon crumpled their images up and held one in each hand. He closed his eyes (Tai noticed he had three) and the cards burst into flames. Everyone recoiled, pushing their chairs back as Beelzemon held his hands open, controlling the flame. As the ashes from the cards filled the air, two crests fell to the floor with sickening thuds.

"The crests were in the cards…" Ryo said.

"Bravo, Einstein." Ken said, dryly.

"Hey, he was just trying to help!" Henry said. On the floor, Daemon's crest glowed red with power.

"Not my fault he's a raving idiot." Ken sneered.

"Leave him alone, _Kaiser_!" Matt butted in.

"You got a problem with me, Ishida?" Ken said, shrugging off Yolei's hand and standing up. "Cause if you do-"

_BLAM! BLAM!_

Everybody flinched as Beelzemon's shotgun smoked, both barrels smoked ominously skyward. The stucco in the ceiling had been blown half to hell as Beelzemon holstered his weapon again. Ken and Matt stared at each other, looks filled with apology as Henry stared at the crest with a look of loathing.

"Let's get rid of it…" Henry said, tears in his eyes. "It's brought us nothing but trouble…"

"We can't." Beelzemon said, picking up the crests of Envy and Wrath and hanging them along with the Crest of Gluttony. All at once, everyone felt calm again. "We need them."

"Why?" Ken said as Yolei buried her head in his shirt. "Why are they so important?"

"The power that bound us in the first place…" Beelzemon said. "Is the only one that can put the Demon Lords back. Zhuqiaomon spared me my life if I would seal the others away forever." Beelzemon stood up, brushing the crumbs off his jacket. "And that's what I intend to do."

* * *

Sora shivered, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as her eyes stared unseeing into the darkness that surrounded her. The last thing she remembered was that Barbamon had taken her to another room with Yokomon. After that, she had passed out to reawaken in a dark, desolate room, freezing cold with Yokomon still passed out. Looking around at the sparse walls, lonely chair and rusty metal table, she suddenly felt very empty and alone, as if simply being in this room had robbed her of any hope of escaping.

She stood up, shuffling towards the door as Yokomon slept in her arms. Looking around as if she expected to be attacked by Mephistomon or Lilithmon, she hesitantly took the door handle and opened it.

The smell of freshly cut flowers wafted through on a shaft of light and hit her full in the face. Surprised, she closed the door, shaking her head and laying Yokomon down with a kiss on her head. Hands shaking, she reached for the doorknob, opening it again to find herself standing in a very familiar flower shop.

The first thing that Sora knew upon walking into the flower shop was that it wasn't summer anymore. The carnations and roses were in full bloom and a cooler light filtered through the window. Confused slightly, she walked further into the shop when she saw her mother angrily standing there with her hand on her hip, foot tapping angrily.

"Mama…" Sora said, huskily, going to hug her mother

"Sora Takenouchi, where in the world have you been?"

Sora froze for a second, before opening her mouth to respond. "I was playing soccer with Tai, Mama."

Sora blanched when she realized those words hadn't come out of her mouth. Shakily turning around, a young teenage girl, no older than thirteen with shoulder length copper hair, stained with flecks of mud and grass walked in, carrying a soccer ball under her arm.

"What happened to your hair, your face?" her mother said, looking at the girl incredulously, not even glancing at Sora

"Oh, this new kid, Davis, he kicked the ball wide and since Miki can't play goal to save her life, I had to dodge in front to-"

"Enough!" Sora's heart seemed to catch in her throat as the girl took a step back. Her mother brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Sora…this has to stop."

"I know, I'll try to work with Miki some more on playing goal-"

"No!" her mother said, firmly, gesturing at her daughter's appearance. "_This! _This…running around at all hours of the night, playing soccer with random _boys _and not giving a care about the important things!'

The girl took a step back. "Like what?"

Her mother sighed. "Sora, I'm concerned. You're growing up and yet you still continue to hang around with Tai playing soccer like you did when you were five."

"But…Tai's my best friend." The girl said, and Sora couldn't help but give the little mud stained urchin a sad smile. She knew where this conversation was headed all too well.

"Yes, but a girl like you needs…guidance from girls your own age."

"What?! No way! They're all shallow, stupid selfish brats!" the girl was close to tears

"Sora…" her mother said firmly. "You need to expand your horizons…you can't play soccer with Tai forever."

"Why not?" the girl was backing up against the door. "Who's to say I can't?"

Her mother drew herself up. "I am. I don't want you playing soccer anymore. I want you to come straight home after school tomorrow." She turned back to her flower arrangements.

The girl teared up, clutching the soccer ball to her chest like a security blanket. "You…you can't…please, no…"

"We'll find you a new sport to play."

"Mama…please." Sora found herself in tears along with the girl.

"More suitable companions…"

"Mom…"

"That's enough blubbering, young lady!" her mother snapped. "Your eyes are getting puffy."

The girl ground her teeth in anger. "I am _not _a YOUNG LADY!" she screamed

Her mother put her shears down with a slam. "No you're not." She said. "Not until you start _acting like one!!"_

For a terrible second the girl froze in shock as her mother composed herself and turned back to the vase she was arranging. "What about tennis? That's a good healthy-"

_SMASH!_

The soccer ball flew through the air and knocked the vase straight into the wall, shattering it into a million pieces.

"SORA!!" Her mother called as the girl tore out the door. "GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!! SORA!!"

Sora turned to follow the girl, throwing open the door, but instead of a cool spring day, a rush of light and warmth hit her. She looked back into the flower shop and up ahead into a dingy, familiar room. She looked in at a small room adorned with a worn, green couch, a full length, backlit mirror and racks and racks of clothes. The floor was carpeted with empty soda bottles, broken drumsticks and worn out picks and the walls covered in posters of bands, playbills and worn and faded pictures.

Sora knew this room well; many times she would find herself here, usually surrounded by music producers, roadies and the occasional groupie that one of the other guys would drag backstage. One look at the other side of the door confirmed her suspicions as a worn out star read "_Teenage Wolves" _

In her state of low level depression, Sora didn't once question how the dressing room had got there. Nor did she feel like checking to make sure that the girl had really run through here. She took three steps in the room before the door behind her flew open and a girl of almost eighteen stormed through the door, followed by her boyfriend, a blond haired bassist she had been seeing for at least four years now. Sora's throat closed up as the scene played out before her.

"I thought you said you had good news!" the girl snapped angrily.

"Babe-"

"No, don't _babe _me, Yamato!" the girl snapped, tapping her foot. "You brought me down here out of tennis practice to say that you guys got a _recording interview?_" she spat incredulously.

"Sora, this could be a big chance for us! Tetsuya Komuro is the single biggest force behind pop in Japan! Getting an interview with him is harder than getting the Ritz with no reservations!"

"But it's my birthday, Matt." The girl said, softly. "It wouldn't mean as much if you weren't there…"

The boy sighed, scratching the back of his head. A couple of time, he looked like he was going to start to say something but he just sighed. "I'll call you tomorrow." He said finally as the girl stormed out of the room, tears in her eyes. Sora took one last look at the boy before following the girl outside…

And into a snowdrift.

She was outside the same building she was in previously only snow covered the ground; she looked around for the girl again when a familiar voice caught her ear.

"Wow, this is exciting! People are already lining up for Matt's concert!"

Sora's heart plummeted into her stomach when she heard those words. Turning around, the girl stood, four years younger there with a box of cookies, standing at the door of the concert hall as a boy with spiky brown hair and an Agumon approached, still unseen from behind.

"No…" Sora sobbed, talking to the boy. "Please, walk away. Please, please, please Don't talk to her. Just keep walking. Don't stop. Don't…"

"Sora!" the boy called as the girl turned around. "Wait up!"

"Oh, Tai…" the girl said

Sora ground her teeth in frustration. "Why do you sound so damn disappointed? What's wrong with you?" she moaned. She wanted to look away, to turn around and run but something hypnotic in the train wreck before her made her stay and watch.

The boy was talking again. "So Sora, are you going to the concert with anyone? Not that it matters…just wondering…

"No, you're not going with anybody." Sora growled at the girl. "Say no!"

"No, I want to be available in case Matt is free afterwards." The girl said.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sora practically screamed "He's just going to dump you on your birthday four years from now! Hello? CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

"Oh, I see…Matt, huh?" the boy said.

"No, Tai!" Sora said. "It's not like that…not yet, anyway."

"Yeah…" the girl said

The boy walked over and laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay." He said.

"No it's not!" Sora cried. "It's not! Tai, don't listen to her; listen to me!"

"You're not mad at me?" the girl asked.

"Shut up!" Sora screamed. "Just shut up an-"

"Of course not." The boy pushed her through the door. "Now get in there and say hi to matt for me!"

The Digimon was saying something but Sora wasn't listening. She pressed her hands to the side of her head and sobbed in frustration. The weight of Tai's simple question came crashing down on her like a ton of bricks.

Tai stood up and was walking away. "No! Tai! Come back!" Sora tore after the younger Tai, pulling on his coat, trying to get him to notice her.

"It's okay…" Tai was saying.

"No it's not! Tai, listen-"

"As long as she's happy…" Tai said, wiping his eyes. "I guess that's what really matters." He said, sniffling slightly

Sora dropped his coat. Her stomach lurched with fear and dread as Tai leaned over the balcony, eyes shining with unshed tears. He looked back at the concert hall one last time. "Make her happy, Matt." He said, biting his lip and sloshing off through the snow.

"TAI!!" Sora called, grabbing onto his leg. "Wait, Please! Don't go! Stay here, please, Tai…I don't know where I am and Matt left me and…and…" her words were lost as a stream of fresh tears consumed them. "A-and I-I I- just don't know w-w-what to do…Tai?" she looked up to find that she was alone. "TAI!!" She called, clutching her chest as it was racked with sobs. "I'm-_gasp-_sorry-_gasp-_please-_gasp-_don't-_gasp-_leave-_gasp-" _she struggled to call for him but he was nowhere to be found. She cried, all alone, as the snow slowly fell down and lightly covered her shaking shoulders.

* * *

"What is she doing?" Lilithmon looked up from watching the weeping teenager to see Lucemon standing behind her. "Why is she clutching that chair's leg?" he wondered as their captive sobbed against the leg of a small wooden chair.

"Oh, it's really funny." Lilithmon giggled, popping another piece of popcorn in her mouth. "She thinks that the chair is her friend, Tai. Apparently it was a toss up between him and the rockstar and she picked door number two." She giggled, taking a noisy slurp out of her soda. "You want to watch for a while? It's quite hilarious when she thinks he's coming back."

Lucemon raised an eyebrow. "You bring him back?"

Lilithmon shrugged. "Once in a while he'll come back, sniffle a bit and say how _happy _he is that she's found love," Lilithmon, struck her chest and put on her best teary eyed expression. "_E-even if i-it isn't with me."_ She said in Tai's quivering voice. Sora sobbed harder as if Lilithmon's words were icy daggers, slicing into her skin.

"So you've found her soft spots…" Lucemon said evenly. "Keep prying at her. Work the lovestruck best friend angle until she cracks."

Lilithmon nodded, before adopting another teary eyed face. "_I…_sob…_I loved you Sora…_sob…_I always will…" _

"I'm sorry, Tai…I'm so, so sorry…I never knew…I never knew…" she moaned, burying her face in her hands.

"She won't last long…" Lilithmon said, confidently. "By the way, how's Belphamon doing?"

* * *

Beelzemon rode ahead, sweeping the streets with his shotguns. Despite consuming his weight in alcohol, he remained remarkably calm and sober as he checked a side street for possible ambush attacks. Seeing nothing of concern, he motioned for his human companions to follow with their Digimon.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Ken whispered to Ryo as Beelzemon polished his shotgun lovingly. "He still seems kinda evil to me."

Ryo stared at the Demon Lord for the longest time before responding. "Beelzemon may have made mistakes in the past, but in the time I've known him he's proven himself to be a valuable ally. Are we friends? No. But that isn't to say I don't trust him. I trust him with my life." he said, firmly

"And with our lives, too?" Yolei asked, cocking an eyebrow

Ryo flashed a grin at Ken. "I've never steered you wrong before, have I?"

Ken smiled fondly. "No, I guess you haven't." Ken stared at Ryo for what seemed like forever, but was really only a few moments. Finally, he said in a small voice. "What happened to you Ryo?"

"After Millenniumon?" Ryo shrugged. "I found a new partner, new friends…hell even a new world. You wander down enough backdoors and hidden passages in the Digital World and you'll find yourself in the most amazing places." Ryo thumbed his nose. "You know I ran into a group of Digidestined who didn't have Digimon?"

"What?" TK asked, joining their conversation with Kari at his side. "How did that happen?"

"You can't be a Digidestined without a partner!" Gatomon said, shaking her head. "You're lying."

"Well…you're not going to believe this but…they used their Digivices to actually, _become _Digimon! Something to do with the "Ancient Warriors" or something like that" Ryo said with a laugh. "It was the weirdest thin I ever saw."

"No Digimon partner, no Digidestined." Kari said, grimly. "They were probably Digimon disguised as humans."

:Oh, are you telling them your cock and bull "Human Digimon" thing again?" Rika groaned. "This story gets wilder every time I hear it."

"You weren't there!" Ryo said. "I SAW it! One minute they were just kids and the next, they were Digimon!"

"You sure the Digimon weren't just small and they were Biomerging?"

"Bio…Merging?" Kari asked, thoughtfully.

Rika was about to respond when she bumped into Beelzemon. "Watch where you're going you-" Rika was about to say before Beelzemon covered her mouth and motioned them to follow his finger. In the middle of a cloud of mist, a small, bear Digimon was asleep. It was no bigger than a teddy bear but chains wrapped themselves around its body and a clock sat around its neck.

"Be quiet!" Beelzemon hissed. "We don't want to wake it up!"

"What is it?" Davis asked, coming to the front of the pack. "Another Demon Lord? Where?"

"There!" Beelzemon said, indicating the sleeping teddy bear.

"Behind the teddy bear?" Davis said, craning his neck.

"It _is _the teddy bear!" Beelzemon said, emphatically

Silence.

"What?" Davis said at normal Davis volume. Rika and Henry grabbed him around the waist and mouth and pulled him to the ground.

"SHHHH!!" Rika hissed. "Keep quiet unless you want Belphamon to make you uglier than you already are!"

"Belphamon…that thing?" Kari whispered. "But…he's so cute…"

"Now he is," Beelzemon said, loading his shotgun. "But you should see him in the mornings. "He's the Demon of Sloth and unless he's asleep, he's in a very, very bad mood." Beelzemon looked back to see Belphamon rolling on his side, purring slightly. "Right now he's in Sleep Mode, but wake him up and oooh boy you're in for it. Back when I ran with the Demon Lords, we would draw straws for who would wake Belphamon up that day"

TK gulped. "Even the other Demon Lords were afraid of him when he's awake?"

"Scared, no. Terrified." Beelzemon said, grimly. "I still am."

"Okay…Davis said. "Let's just sneak around his backside; no one has to know we're here!"

"No go; we need his Crest. I think I can pry it from around his neck and then we'll just delete him while he naps. Just make sure no one makes any sudden noise or my goosemon in cooked." Beelzemon turned off his bike and carefully tiptoed over to the sleeping demon. Flourishing a claw, he gingerly grabbed the chain and started to lift. With more care than Beelzemon had ever shown in his life, he lifted the chain around the neck above the head of the napping Digimon. He nearly had a heart attack as it slipped and landed on his nose. For a moment, Beelzemon forgot to breathe as he watched the sleeping Digimon apprehensively. Then, slowly but surely, he inched the chain towards the end of the monster's nose. Then, just when he almost had it off…

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU BROKE UP WITH HER?!"

"Tai! Shhhh!"

"DON'T YOU SUSH ME, YAMATO!! DUMPING HER ON HER BIRTHDAY?! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ALL ABOUT?!" The Digidestined were frozen in open mouthed horror as Tai vented four years of frustration on the blonde bassist. "I TOLD YOU I WAS COOL WITH YOU TWO AS LONG AS YOU TREATED HER RIGHT; THIS DOSEN"T CONSTITUTE TREATING HER RIGHT!! I CAN"T BELIEVE YOU….I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!! HOW COULD YOU, MATT?! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO SORA?!"

Beelzemon didn't even have to turn around to know that Tai's tirade had woken the beast. A low growling registered in his ear as the Demon of Sloth opened one, bloodshot, crimson eye and locked on to Beelzemon.

"Uh…morning, cupcake…" Beelzemon said, nervously laughing

"BeeeeeelzeeeeeMOOOOOOOOON!!" Belphamon opened his mouth and roared with more force and fury than even Daemon had conjured. The tiny bear's body suddenly bulged as if it were being injected with too much stuffing. Peaceful, sleeping arms grew long, thick and muscled. The fluffy angel's wings turned black and leathery as the horns on his head lengthened and his snout shot out of his mouth, filling with fangs. His once creamy colored fur was dark blue and black and his eyes betrayed the boiling sea of fury he was trying to contain.

"Whoooooooo….disturrrrrrrrbs my sllllllluuuuummmmmberrrrrr?" Belphamon growled in a deep, slow voice, glaring at the Digidestined. Beelzemon pointed back at Tai whose hand around Matt's collar slackened and let the musician fall to the ground.

"Um…good morning?" Tai said, smiling nervously, reaching for a loaf of bread they had filched from the coffee shop. "Want some breakfast? It's the most important meal of-"

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" Belphamon howled in rage, blowing Tai's hair back as he snarled at him.

"I'll take that as a probable no."

_AN: Um…READ and um…Review. I want to know, and be honest; how can i make the Sora Angst thin more believable? I wasn't as satisfied with this one as i was with the last one... feedback will be greatly appreciated_


	10. Waking the Demon

_Chapter Nine: Waking the Demon(s) _

_(LONGEST CHAPTER YET!!) _

_MAJOR TAIORA HO!! _

_FOR ENHANCED READING EXPIERIENCE, PLAY "WAKING THE DEMON" By Bullet for My Valentine. It's what I had on while I wrote this battle so I guess you could call it the "soundtrack" to the first part of the chapter. And now I am going to attempt to do the hardest thing for a Taiora shipper to do; not bashing Matt. Just as a good Takari fic avoids Davis bashing a good Taiora fic avoids totally ripping Matt a new one...wish me luck _

"LampRANTHUS!"

The hissing, crackling smell of ozone igniting filled the air as Tai narrowly dodged a flaming chain, hurled by the agitated Demon Lord. All around, the street was in utter ruin as the cranky Demon of Sloth went on his rampage. His friends had scattered and he was currently holed up in an alley with Matt, Beelzemon and a terrified Izzy, scanning the streets for any sign of Mimi.

"WHERE...ARE...YOU...HUMAN?" Belphamon said in his slow, deep tones. "COME...FACE...YOUR...DOOM!!"

"Nice going, Tai!" Matt said, clapping his back. "You woke up the world's biggest toddler from his nap!"

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Tai said, defensively.

"I beg to differ, Mr. Why-Did-You-Break-Up-With-Her." Beelzemon said dryly, ducking out from his cover. "Corona Blaster!" Four dull thuds ripped through the air as Beelzemon emptied both shotguns into Belphamon's hide. The Demon barely growled, swinging his chain like a whip, shattering rows of windows and raining glass down on the Digidestined.

"Didn't that do anything?" Izzy asked. "He's still going!"

"It did some damage," Beelzemon said, reloading. "Problem is he's too pissed off to feel it right now. He's gone literally berserk!" Beelzemon fired off another round of ammo.

"Hand of Fate!" Tai looked up to see Angemon and Angewomon squaring off with the demon. Belphamon swatted the attack sideways, binding Angemon in chains ans slamming him into the side of a building.

"Angemon!" Angewomon cried, staring in horror as her partner fell to the earth, into TK's arms as Tokomon.

Angewomon ground her teeth in anger. "You'll pay for that, demon scum!" she knocked a light arrow. "Celestial-"

"DARK HORN!" Before she could get the shot off, dark lightning shot from Belphamon's horns and ripped through her body. Screaming in agony, she too plummeted from the sky, into Kari's arms.

"Kari..." Salamon said weakly.

"Shh..." Kari soothed. "You did your best."

"Our turn!" Stingmon surged forward followed by Shurimon, jumping from roof to roof.

"Spiking Strike!" Stingmon lunged, extending a pink spike from his forearm and diving for Belphamon's throat. The needle went in, but Belphamon only laughed.

"IS THIS A FIGHT...OR AN ACUPUNCTURE SESSION?" he laughed, smashing Stingmon between his palms, and sending Wormmon back to earth

"Wormmon!" Yolei cried. "Stick it to him, Shurimon!"

"Right! Payback, time you ugly hunk!" Shurimon spun right, launching his shuriken at Belphamon's thick hide.

"UGLY HUNK? I WOULD HAVE CHOSEN MY LAST WORDS MORE CAREFULLY IF I WERE YOU..." Belphamon chuckled as the stars bounced off. Before Shurimon could move, a rouge chain flew through the air, striking him down.

"Bring some heavy hitters out!" Tai looked up to see a large rabbit, cloaked in green armor and sporting twin canons on the end of his arms.

"Rapidmon!"

"We'll keep him busy..." a soft voice spoke beside him. An elegant fox, cloaked in sorcerer's garb hovered beside him.

"Yeah! Just leave it to Me and Taomon!"

"Grrr..." Cyberdramon growled, running down the street.

"Oops...sorry Cyberdramon." Rapidmon chuckled nervously.

"COWARDS!!" Belphamon roared. "YOU SEND YOUR DIGIMON TO FIGHT IN YOUR STEAD?! FACE ME!!"

"You'll have to deal with us first!" Rapimon crowed. "RAPID FIRE!" Two rockets soared out and struck the Demon with twin _thunk, BOOM's. _

"AMP IT UP!" Henry called, swiping a card. "DIGIMODIFY! DIGITAL BURST ACTIVATE!!" (_AN: THNX, O'BRYNE!) _

"RAPID FIRE!" Rapidmon launched the same attack, this time sending Belphamon reeling farther back.

"Keep up the pressure!" Taomon produced a brush from her sleeve.

"GOING TO DO MY MAKEUP, FOXY?"

Taomon rolled her eyes. "I think body art suits you better...TALISMAN OF LIGHT!" Taomon painted a symbol in midair, charging it with light and sending it flying at Belphamon. The Lord of Sloth howled as the white hot talisman seared his flesh, tattooing him with the talisman.

"DESOLATION CLAW!!" Cyberdramon belched a blast of power from his open claws, stinging the tender talisman area. Despite all this, Belphamon rose, swinging his chain and devolving them all back to Rookies with a single swipe.

"He's too strong, Ryo!" Monodramon moaned, softly.

"Beelzemon, do something!" Rika cried, tending to Renamon's wounds.

"Me? What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, anything! You're a Mega, aren't you?" Tai screamed.

"Listen," Beelzemon said. "I couldn't control this guy when he was on _my _side. What makes you think I can do anything to stop him now? Besides, I'm only one Mega!"

Tai pulled his Digivice out. "Then it's time to even the odds." Tai shot a glance at Matt. "Get your Digivice out; if you even have it..." he mumbled darkly.

"I got it! I got it!" Matt growled. Agumon and Gabumon just rolled their eyes; must be a human thing.

"Alright you big baby!" Tai called out. "You want to sleep? We'll put you down for the longest nap there is! Come on Agumon!"

"You got it! Agumon Warp Digivolve to..."

"You too, Gabumon!" Matt said, pulling his Digivice out as well

"Right! Gabumon Warp Digivolve to..."

Agumon burst open, growing tall and powerful, covered in dangerous looking armor. "WARGREYMON!!"

Gabumon vanished, only to be replaced by a cybernetic wolf with jets on his back. "METALGARURUMON!!"

"Alright, WarGreymon, take him out!"

"Clean his clocks, MetalGarurumon!"

The two Megas flew at the rampaging demon, who barely took notice of them as he continued to scan the streets for the humans that woke him up.

"Hey, Rip Van Winkle!" WarGreymon called, charging a blast of energy in his hand. "TERRA FORCE!" he cried, letting a burst of energy fly. Belphamon howled with rage as the blast collided with his chest, sending him crashing into a building.

"My turn!" MetalGarurumon called. He opened his mouth, charging a blast of blue energy. "METAL WOLF CLAW!!"

The blue blast connected with the enraged demon as he was getting up, sending him crashing back into the building, bringing it down on top of him in a cloud of debris.

"I-I think we beat him..." Tai said, shakily. All around him, his friends were poking their heads out of alleyways, shops and (in Davis' case) a dumpster

"Y-yeah..." Matt agreed. "I don't think he could have surr-"

"GRRRAAAAAAAGH!!"

Before Tai could look up, Belphamon grabbed each Mega Digimon in a claw and brought them soaring overhead and crashing into a building down the street. Tai and Matt raced over to see WarGreymon gently pulling MetalGarurumon to his feet.

Belphamon chuckled, the low droning bass tones hurting even Matt's hardened eardrums.

"YOU...ARE FOOLS." He said, addressing the two battered Megas. "TO ALLY YOURSELVES WITH THESE...MEATBAGS, THESE...HUMANS. I...AND MY FELLOW LORDS...REACH OUR FULL POWER...WITHOUT _HUMAN INTERFERENCE!!" _

"You think this is our full power?" WarGreymon asked, chuckling along with MetalGarurumon as they started to glow.

"Brother...you ain't seen nothing yet." Belphamon looked back to see Tai and Matt holding their Digivices up to their partners as they dissolved into light, except for their heads. Two arms shot out from the now larger heads as the streams of light consolidated and formed a towering, white knight with a regal blue cape.

"OMNIMON!" The knight cried.

Belphamon took a step back, sizing his new opponent up. "SO...A ROYAL KNIGHT..." Belphamon cracked his neck with a deafening, _crack! _"PERHAPS YOU ARE A WORTHY CHALLENGER AFTER ALL..." Belphamon took a deep breath. "ETERNAL...NIGHTMARE!" Black fire spewed forth from his maw and hurled at Omnimon.

"TRANCENDENT SWORD!" Omnimon cried, dividing the flames on either side of the blade.

"HMMM..." Belphamon said, fingering his chains, thoughtfully as the two circled each other in the ruined street. Belphamon unwrapped a length of chain and with a flick of his wrist, snapped it rigid, dark fire spinning around it.

"LAMPRANTHUS!" He cried, swinging the chain like a sword, fencing with the Transcendent Sword.

"If you thing you can out-fence us, you're sorely mistaken." Omnimon said, flourishing their sword.

"GOOD TO KNOW!" Belphamon wrapped the blade in a length of chain and dragged Omnimon in, wrapping the chain around himself like a fishing reel. Belphamon sneered, yellow teeth dripping with saliva. "ANY LAST WORDS, _SIR?" _he spat, mockingly.

"Yeah, just two!" Onmimon said

"Point..." WarGreymon said

"...Blank" MetalGarurumon finished

"WHAT NONSENSE IS-"

"SUPREME CANNON!" Omnimon rammed his gun into Belphamon's Solar Plexus. Belphamon's red eyes widened in fear as Omnimon pulled the trigger.

"NOOOOOOOO!!" The Demon of Sloth cried as a bolt of white hot light ripped through his stomach, leaving a neat, even hole where it went through. Belphamon looked down where his stomach used to be, then back up at Omnimon as he slid down his front and hit the ground, bursting forth into a cloud of data. Ryo ran out of an alley, burning his image into a card and handing it to Beelzemon who promptly destroyed it, collecting the Crest and absorbing the Data.

"Well that was hairy..." Davis mumbled, climbing out of his dumpster hiding place, dusting himself off.

"At least he's gone..." Matt said, glancing at Tai. "Listen, Tai-"

"Not now, Matt." Tai said, picking up Koromon

"Tai, you got to hear me out...yes, I broke up with Sora but-"

"But nothing." Tai mumbled darkly, eyes suddenly clouding. "You broke her heart. Ryo said Biyomon couldn't digivolve and for the longest time I couldn't figure out why. But I get it now...you really hurt her; that's why she couldn't fight back. Her crest wasn't working..."

Matt sighed. "I never meant to, Tai." Matt said, voice quavering. "Please, you have to believe me, I never meant to hurt her...I just..."

"Just what?" Tai rounded on the blonde. "She was a sitting duck out there! She never stood a chance against Lilithmon!"

"Who...I didn't know demons were going to attack!" Matt cried hysterically

"Yeah, well you knew it was her birthday..." Tai snarled, walking away.

"Damnit, Tai, what do you want?!" Matt cried. "What do you want from me? What do you want me to do? Do you want to hit me?! Would that make you feel better?! Go ahead! Knock me out, just please, _please _hear me out!"

"I'm not going to hit you, Matt." Tai said, softly. "But you have nothing to say that I want to hear."

TK and Kari looked back and forth between their brothers, one staring dumbstruck at the other's back. Usually when Matt and Tai fought, it lasted no longer than half an hour and usually ended with two black eyes. But after that, they always made up and they were always friends in time for lunch. But as Tai walked away, eyes clouded with angry tears, it didn't seem like there was going to be any making up any time soon.

* * *

Tai stared darkly at the floor in front of him, wearing a patch in the debris that littered the street with the toe of his shoe. He had been sitting there, on a rusty park bench for the past five minutes or so, away from the rest of the group, just thinking...

"Penny for your thoughts?" a voice came from behind him. Tai sighed as Kari took a seat on his other side. For a minute, she was silently mimicking Tai's efforts to dig a hole in the concrete with her sneaker. Finally, Tai broke the silence between them.

"How could he do that to her?" Tai said quietly, without bitterness or anger. He genuinely wanted to know how it was possible. "Why did he do that?"

"I'm sure he has his reasons..." Kari said quietly.

"What? What could they possibly be?" Tai sniffled slightly. "I-If it was me-"

"Tai..." Kari said, gently laying her hand on his shoulder. "You promised you wouldn't do this to yourself anymore."

"But if _I _was..."Tai shook his head. "I would have never let her go. As long as she would have me, I would be there."

"Tai..." Kari said, eyes suddenly brimming. "I haven't heard you talk like this since you were fourteen..." Kari gasped. "You fell back in love with _Sora_..."

"No." Tai said quietly. "I never fell out."

"All this time..." Kari said as the truth dawned on her. "Four years...and all those times you could have told her. When she and Matt had that fight and didn't speak for three months...you could've..."

"I wouldn't have said anything." Tai said flatly.

"Why, Tai? Why didn't you say something?! You just kept it bottled up for four years?"

"Because they were happy!" Tai shouted, stunning Kari into silence. "They. Were. Happy. And as long as Sora was happy...I was fine. I could make due going on those double dates with them and one of Mimi's ditzy friends." Tai sat back down. "And she was with Matt...my other best friend... I couldn't do that to him."

"But Tai..." Kari whispered

"What do you want me to say Kari?!" Tai stood up, striding away from the bench. "Do you want me to say that I love her? Is that it? Fine. Here it goes. I. Love. Sora. I love her. That's right! Love. _Amor_! _Amore_! Not like as a friend, not like-like a stupid high school crush. Love. L.O.V.E LOVE!" Tai's voice shook slightly as a lifetime of thoughts and feelings were finally voiced out loud. "I liked her before I even liked girls...I think it must've been sometime during the Digital World that I started caring about her as more than a friend but...I-I was too st-stupid to do anything about it." Tai slammed his fists against a wall. "I was afraid of what she would say or that she wouldn't feel the same way so I said nothing..." He leaned his head against the wall as hot tears stained cool granite. "I'm a coward...I'm a miserable, stinking coward!"

(_AN: If you want the soundtrack to this next scene, Put on "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" by John Mayer.) _

"No, Tai, you're not."

Tai's heart stopped as a voice that definitely wasn't Kari spoke. Turning around, he saw Matt standing against a lamp post, looking at Tai as if he had never really seen him before. Kari had left, leaving the two boys alone

"You...stood by...for four years," Matt spoke slowly, trying to wrap his head around Tai's words. "While I dated the girl of your dreams...the love of your life...and you said _nothing..."_ Matt bit his lip and looked away for a moment. "And that's cowardice? No."

"Matt..."

"Tai," Matt said, walking over to his friend and leaning against the wall beside him. "I've seen you stare down, Devimon, Etamon, Datamon, Myotismon, MetalSeadramon, Machinedramon, Puppetmon, Piedmon and Apocalymon without breaking a sweat. I've watched you pull half of us out of more life-or-death situations than I can count. You've fearlessly led when others would only follow. You're a freaking _legend _in the Digital World. You are." He said when Tai shook his head. "They think you're Jesus Christ, Superman and the Hercules all rolled into one." Matt sighed. "But they will never know, that the bravest thing you ever did was stand by, _smiling _while the girl of your dreams was with someone else." Matt shook his head. "I don't know how you did it, man...I would've cracked a long time ago."

"She was happy with you..." Tai said, softly.

Matt sighed. "Tai...you may not know this but our relationship wasn't what one would call...conventional. I mean...we had some good times but I was on the road a lot and Sora was finishing school and she had tennis while I was free and I had my band when she was free. On average...we got to see each other maybe...four days out of the month."

Tai looked up. "Really."

Matt leaned his head against the granite wall. "One day...about six months ago, I got a call from her. She couldn't make our date because she had a big paper due so we tried to reschedule. Put it to you this way; if the date was till on, we'd be going ice skating and shopping for Christmas gifts." Tai chuckled as Matt smiled somewhat sadly. "I hung up the phone and...I must've stared at it for almost half an hour, just stewing on this. I thought it was just another tic, cause God knows we've had ups and downs but...I realized, not too long ago that we, Sora and I...we were going down. It's like we were on a sinking ship...like the _Titanic. _Now everybody else would be booking for the lifeboats but..." Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. "We would just keep trying to plug the holes and fix the cracks instead of just realizing that the ship is going down." Matt turned to Tai. "I got off. I wrote her a letter and-"

"You broke up with her over a letter?" Tai asked, eyebrow cocked. "Wow, bad form..."

Matt sighed. "I was kinda going for that. See...I thought, if she thought I was a jerk then...maybe she wouldn't take it as bad. And I know I shouldn't have done it on her birthday but...well, I was kinda hoping she'd run into you."

Tai stood there, cotton mouthed for a moment before managing to squeak out. "Me?"

Matt smiled at Tai. "You were always there for her when I wasn't. At her tennis matches when I couldn't be, to study with her when I was on the road...I see _why _now," Matt laughed, then growing serious. "But you knew how to comfort her. I was always the second to know when Sora was upset, after you and right before her mother...well, actually, right before Mimi and then her mother...well, she would talk to Kari first and then talk to her mother...well, actually, Yolei kinda knew before her mom...well..."

"Right. Sora told me, then you then _the rest of the world, _then the whole DigiWorld and _then, _her mom." Tai laughed.

"But only because someone else in the chain slipped and told her!" The two shared a heartfelt laugh. "So...are we cool?" Matt said, holding out a hand.

"Matt..." Tai said. "We'll always be cool." He said, taking his hand and throwing a hug on him.

"Matt..."

"Yeah Tai?"

"...I'm sorry I said your band sounded like Primus puked on Nirvana..."

"Now _that _I will never forgive you for."

* * *

"Oh look who it is..." Beelzemon said dryly as Matt and Tai returned. "The boys are back from couple's therapy."

"Is he always this grouchy?" Matt asked Ryo.

"Actually, this is one of his nicer moods...usually he would call you a girl and then bring your sexual orientation into question." Ryo remarked, lightly.

"Hey!" Beelzemon called after the two of them. "If ladies are done sucking face the rest of us have some business with a couple of Demon Lords!"

"You called?"

Everyone suddenly looked up to the source of the booming voice. An old man with yellow skin and a hooked nose, stared down at them from behind a long, white beard and dark red robes. He lightly twirled a twisted staff back and forth and he took flight (Tai noted the six, leathery devil wings jutting up from his back) and landed lightly in front of them.

"If a fight with a Demon Lord is what you need." The Digimon sang softly. "Battle, Barbamon! Lord of Greed!"


	11. Avarice

_

* * *

_

Chapter Ten: Avarice

_RUKATO, HO!_

"Barbamon..." Beelzemon snarled, cocking his shotguns. "Lucemon must be getting pretty desperate if he sent you to fight us!" Out of the corner of his eye, Tai spotted the Tamers, slipping away. He wanted to see what they were doing, but it really wasn't a good idea to turn your back on a Demon Lord.

Barbamon cackled with glee. "Here to fight? That's a gas! Battle you? I think I'll pass." Barbamon flew into the air again. "Your little friend is all alone. So I thought I'd make her more at home!" Before Tai could react, a blast of light knocked him over. By the time his head stopped ringing, he saw that Barbamon had grabbed Mimi and Kari in some kind of net.

"MIMI!"

"KARI!" TK and Izzy cried at the same time, rushing at Barbamon, only to be knocked away by his staff.

"Thank you for your little friends but alas our time together is at an end. So goodbye for now, DigiFools! With these two in my grasp, _I make the rules!" _

"KARI!!" TK bellowed, running after Barbamon, followed closely by Izzy. They were running as fast as they could but Barbamon's wings carried him faster. He was almost over a building, TK realized that they were going to lose them, Barbamon cleared the top and...

"AIIIIIEEEE!!' Barbamon cried as something struck him and forced him to drop his captives.

"TK!!" Kari cried as she plummeted earthwards.

"IZZY!!" Mimi cried, falling through space.

TK and Izzy tore through the chaos Belphamon had left but they knew they weren't going to make it. They were almost ten stories down...nine...eight...Kari's broken body filled TK's mind...seven...six...Izzy imagined a rainy day, a lonely casket in the earth...five...never making fun of their brothers again...four...never baking another batch of brownies...three...no more Sunday night walks in the park...two...never hearing those three words that caused the two of them more happiness than they ever thought possible...one..."

_WOOSH!_

A silver and red streak appeared out of nowhere, catching the falling girls and appearing on the other side of TK and Izzy. They turned around to see Kari and Mimi in the arms of a tall, humanoid Digimon. Silver armor covered most of his body, leaving only enough room for him to be able to move and a red sash was tied around his neck. His head was capped by a silver helmet, with two wings jutting out from either side. The arm that held Kari was a normal arm, adorned like the rest of his body but the arm that supported a shaking Mimi was huge, silver and mechanical.

"Izzy..." Mimi sobbed as she threw her arms around his neck.

"TK..." Kari sobbed into his shirt. Both boys just held their girls tightly, as if letting go would mean never seeing them again. Finally Izzy looked up at the Digimon who floated in midair, fists on his hips in an over exaggerated superhero pose.

"Um...thanks." Izzy said.

"Don't mention it." The Digimon replied.

TK and Izzy both let out a gasp. "Cyberdramon?" Izzy asked as TK said "Ryo?"

The Digimon laughed. "Both right and both wrong. I'm Justimon, the product of the Biomerging of Ryo and Cyberdramon."

"Biomerging?" Izzy gasped. "So...You melded with your Digimon partner? Like DNA digivolving but with a human?" Justimon nodded as words failed the genius.

"Where did Barbamon go?" Kari asked. As if in answer to her question, the fallen angel came flying through a building, slamming into a lightpole and sliding to the ground. Behind him, a warrior with yellow armor leapt after him. As the sun hit her (undoubtedly female) Kari could see that in addition to the yellow chest armor, she wore purple gloves and boots, capped with the same gold as her armor. A black bodysuit covered the rest of her frame and two, billowing fox tails streamed from the back of her head and down her back like hair. In her hands, a golden staff glistened in the sudden light as she brought it over her head and down on Barbamon's staff.

"Sakuyamon. Rika and Renamon combined..." Justimon muttered, before turning back to them. "You four stay put." Justimon said. "We'll take it from here." With that, he launched himself after Barbamon and Sakuyamon, metal arm charging up.

"Justice Blaster!" a stream of blue energy spewed forth from his arm and smashed into Barbamon's head.

The Sorcerer raised his staff high in the air. "I'm one Digimon you'll wish you hadn't crossed! Here it comes! PANDEMONIUM LOST!!" A dark shockwave erupted out, knocking Sakuyamon and Justimon back into a pair of massive green legs.

Izzy followed the legs up to meet the largest Digimon he had ever seen. Towering over the five story apartment blocks on either side of him, his green armor gave off a green glow. Various kinds of guns and missiles decorated his body, ready to fire as soon as the Digimon gave the order. He was a wrecking machine; pure and simple.

"Are you alright?" Henry and Terriermon asked the two Megas, shaking off the blast.

"Just peachy." Sakuyamon said flatly. "Thanks, MegaGargomon."

"I just wish he'd stop trying to rhyme." Justimon remarked. "It's really annoying; I wish someone would just put a cork in his mouth or something..."

"One cork," MegaGargomon said, priming his shoulder launchers. "Coming up. GARGO MISSLE!!"

Two car sized rockets flew from his shoulders, crashing into the street beneath Barbamon's feet, sending him flying into the air.

"DAMN YOU!!" he cried. "ONE AND ALL!! JUST...JUST...JUST..."

"Aww, what's the matter?" Sakuyamon crooned. "Can't think of something witty to say that rhymes with "All?"

"SHUT UP, FOXY WARRIOR GIRL! OR I'LL...Um..." Barbamon struggled. "Do...Something...that will...MAKE YOU HURL!! HAHA! Still got it!"

"That didn't rhyme..." Kari said.

"DAMNIT!"

"Okay, well this has been fun and everything but...that's enough." Sakuyamon said, leaping high into the air. "Amethyst Wind!!" she cried, diving out of the sky followed by a storm of crystal shards that surged ahead of Sakuyamon as she spun her staff high over her head.

"NOOOO!!" Barbamon cried as the thousands of crystal shards nearly tore him apart. Sakuyamon landed with a click of her heels and sauntered over to where Barbamon was dissolving. She gave him a poke with a stick before declaring. "You're finished."

"Funny..." Barbamon said as Sakuyamon walked away. "I'm not the only one finished today..."

Sakuyamon stopped, turning to face Barbamon. "And what does that mean?"

"Your friends...weren't in such good shape when I left the recording building..." Barbamon cackled, weakly.

Sakuyamon was on him in three strides, grabbing him by the beard and hauling him up to her level. "What did you do to him?" she breathed, dangerously. Behind her, Tai was coming up, worry knotted on his brow.

"I asked you a question, greaseball." Sakuyamon growled, shaking the weak and weary Barbamon. "What have you done to our friends?"

Barbamon found strength enough to laugh again. "Your boy is getting dismembered by a succubus any minute now..." he laughed at her angry tears. "And our master...is going...to enjoy the girl...very much..."

Tai grabbed Barbamon by his collar. "What are they doing to her?" he whispered, voice trembling. "What are they doing to Sora?"

"Ah, ah, ahhh" Barbamon wagged a finger at them. "Spoilers..."

He let out a scream as Sakuyamon took hold of one of his long, crooked fingers and snapped it with a sickening _snap. _

"My...my hand..." Barbamon moaned weakly and another _snap _signaled that another finger had been broken.

"You'd better do as he says." Sakuyamon hissed. "Or I'll start breaking things you need..."

"Go to hell you ugly biAAAGH!" Barbamon cried as a crystal shard jammed itself inside his stomach. His face went pale as he clutched on to Sakuyamon's hair. "You...you're just as bad...as we are...just as mean...just as cruel...just as..._sinful." _

"No...You're wrong" Sakuyamon whispered, tears dripping from her helmet, drawing a large crystal off the ground. "Right now..." She jammed it straight into his chest. "I'm a whole lot worse than you could ever be." She dropped him as he dissipated into a cloud of mist and data.

"S-Sakuyamon?" Tai asked, gingerly reaching a hand out and touching the warrior's shoulder. "Are you-" Sakuyamon shrugged him off and started walking off, aimlessly dragging her staff before dropping it in the gutter. She took a few more listless steps and then dropped to her knees.

Most people thought that the only time Rika cried was when she was a baby because no one, not even her mother, could remember a time when her daughter had actually shed a tear. As Sakuyamon split into Renamon and Rika again, Rika fell forward, hands and knees supporting her. Angrily, she hit the ground with her fist again and again and again until the pain registered in her hand.

_Sniff_

_Sniff_

_Sniff_

A small droplet of water fell from her face, followed by another and another until Rika could no longer stop herself. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, shoulders shaking, chest heaving and tears flowing down her face in two, perfect streams of water.

She felt a warm, fuzzy pair of arms wrap around her shoulders and in that gesture of kindness, that taste of contentment, Rika cried even harder.

"Takato..." she choked out between sobs. "Takato, please hold on...I'm on...I'm on my way...I'm coming to get you...just p-p-please stay alive...just a little longer, I promise...just..." Rika had to stop as a fresh wave of tears threatened to overwhelm her. Renamon held her partner helplessly as she wept into her fur. "I...I never got a chance to t-t-tell you...don't you di...di..._die _on me now!" She sobbed. "Don't you dare leave me...you promised you wouldn't..."

_Flashback-_

_Two weeks ago. 1st quadrant, Human World, Japan, Tokyo, the Shinjuku District_

_"Whatever...fine, I don't care!" Rika slammed the phone down angrily, cracking the cradle. She stood there, shoulders shaking in anger. She grabbed her keys and jacket off the counter, storming out the door. _

"_Renamon! I'm going out!" Rika called over her shoulder to the fox Digimon who was enjoying a cup of tea on the back deck. _

"_Rika, is there something-" Renamon's words were cut off with a sharp SLAM of the front door. Renamon sighed, turning back to the book she was leafing through. She had known Rika long enough to know that she'd talk when she felt like it and prying at her wouldn't do anything for her. _

_X_

_"Stupid mom...stupid France...stupid modeling job...stupid birthday...stupid ice cream truck...stupid air" Rika mumbled darkly to herself, assigning blame to anything that crossed her path as she stalked the streets of Shinjuku, headphones blaring and glaring at anyone who felt brave enough to meet her eye. Through the throbbing bass and pounding backbeat coursing through her ears, she was vaguely aware of someone calling her name _

_Suddenly a hand gently grabbed her shoulder but in her state of pissed off, heavy metal induced adrenaline, she thought someone was trying to mug her and took the necessary steps to prevent it._

_"HYAH!" She cried, grabbing her assailant's wrist and heaving him over her shoulder onto the grass in front of her. As the thug fell to the ground, she found herself staring into a pair of amber eyes, widened with shock. _

_"Takato?" she said as the Gogglehead sat up, rotating his shoulder, checking for breaks. _

_"Hey, Rika..." he said in the sheepish little way that made her stomach knot. He brushed his red and white jacked off, standing up and smoothing his now wrinkled kakis. _

_"Wh-What did you sneak up on me like that for?!" she demanded. "I could have snapped you in half!" _

_Takato laughed, raising his eyebrows. "Maybe if you weren't blaring the Bloodthirsty Butchers at full volume you wouldn't have been so surprised." Rika turned red and looked down. Three years ago Takato would have wilted under an attack like that, babbling, stammering and stuttering out a half baked apology. Maybe he had just grown up or maybe she was rubbing off on him but now...he could take anything she threw and dish it back in equal doses; he had developed a special way of diffusing her temper._

_"Hey..." Takato's voice brought her back to reality. "What's wrong?" _

_"What?! Nothing! Nothing's wrong! Everything's peachy! Just fine! What makes you think anything's wrong!?" _

_"Well..." Takato said, leaning back against the tree and beginning to tick off on his fingers. "For starters, you're wearing two different colored socks which meant you didn't have time to get dressed before you stormed out of the house in disgust..." Rika blushed, looking at the white and blue socks on her feet. "Secondly, Renamon isn't anywhere nearby-" _

_"How do you know?" Rika flared. "She could be right next to you, for all you know you goofy Gogglehead!" _

_"But she isn't. The way you reacted tells me that you weren't counting on her to pounce on anyone if they attacked you. So you left her at home." Rika frowned and said nothing. "Third of all, and most damning, you're stalking around Tokyo like a pissed off record DJ with her headphones up all the way, glaring at anything that crosses your path. Now," Takato said looking at her, head cocked to the side. "You're angry, but not at me, Renamon or any of the other Tamers because then you'd be all over us like white on rice. You left home because...you're angry at your mother. But," he indicated her cell phone. "Your phone isn't ringing off the hook so that means Rumiko isn't at home, worried about you BECAUSE she isn't at home and didn't know you left. So," Takato said, summarizing. "You and your mother had a fight, over the phone about...let's see, today's the sixth...your birthday." Takato finished. "You and your mother had an argument about your birthday." _

_Rika clapped dramatically. "Bravo, Sherlock." She turned away. "Now buzz off, Gogglmon." _

_His hand stopped her again, lightly grabbing her wrist and turning her around. "What-" she had time to say as he took her by the shoulders, staring into her eyes intently. Whatever was left of Rika's statement died before it reached her lips as he seemed to look through her rather than at her. However it happened, Takato had come to know her better than the other Tamers, even the insightful Henry and Ryo, who could plot out every card move she made. She felt...unusually venerable around Takato, like she was totally exposed and naked under his gaze (Rika blushed at that thought, thankful Takato didn't know EVERYTHING she was thinking.) But at the same time, she wasn't terribly bothered by that fact; she trusted him more than the others for some reason and she knew he wouldn't betray that trust to the other Tamers who, let's face it, wouldn't understand. _

_Rika sighed. "It's my mom. She's got a modeling job out in Paris for the next few months and..." Rika trailed off, eyes darkening. "And she's not going to be home for my birthday...just like last year except Grandma's not here to baby-sit me..."_

_Takato sighed, pulling Rika into a hug, which she hesitantly returned. Ever since Rika's grandmother had died, Rumiko had been away more and more, taking opportunities in other countries, staying away from home for months at a time, leaving Rika alone with Renamon, sending checks back for Rika to pay the bills. It was during this time when she first reached out to Takato. She had really come through for him when Jeri broke his heart and he was more than happy to provide support during the times Rumiko was away. _

_So he brought her to his family's bakery to help out after school (Rika had insisted she go to the same high school the other Tamers went to). She would stay well past closing time and many nights, the Matsuki's would have her over for dinner and afterwards, Takato would walk her home. If the emptiness of the house began to get to her, Takato would be at her place in five minutes with a sleeping bag and a Digimon DVD. They would stay up until all hours of the morning as Takato explained to her (in great detail) why Biyomon had trouble digivolving to Ultimate and how there was no real reason for Matt and Sora to get together and how that the writers "Must've had a flipping stroke before writing the finale" It was in that time that her icy, sarcastic exterior began to flake and melt. He learned that she had a nervous habit of biting her bottom lip whenever she was frustrated. She tended to get angry at inanimate objects quicker than she did with people. But what surprised Takato most of all is that all Rika Nonaka wanted was the love and support of her mother. _

_"C'Mon." Takato said, tugging her along. "I know just what you need." _

X

"_So did you hear about Henry and Jeri?" Rika asked, slurping down her milkshake as the two made their way back towards the Nonaka estate, eating their ice cream. _

_"About how they're "secretly" dating?" Takato laughed, taking a lick out of his cone. "I don't think there's anyone who dosen't; they're not very subtle about it." _

_"You don't think that's a little wierd?" Rika asked. _

_"No wierder than Ryo and Alice." He mentioned, offhandedly_

_Rika glanced back at him. "Are you...okay with this?" _

_Takato was quiet for a while, nibbling on his cone as he prepared his answer. "If they're happy together, then I'm happy." Takato said, sincerly. "She deserves happiness...so do I for that matter." _

_"Are you saying it's finally time to forget Puppetgirl?" Rika asked _

_Takato looked back, smiling. "Yeah...It's time to move on." They stopped as they arrived at her house. "Are you going to be alright tonight? If you want, I can run home and get my sleeping bag and disc 5 of Adventure Zero Two." _

_Rika groaned in mock despair. "I don't think I can handle anymore DigiDestined and DigiEggs and Crests and...stuff." She finished with a sigh_

_"Hey, you never know when this info may come in handy!" Takato said, popping the last of his cone into his mouth. "You could be on a game show and the billion Yen question could be "What was the name of Arukienimon and Mummymon's creator?" and you would smugly reply..." Takato waited for her to fill in the blank._

_"Umm...don't know." _

_Takato slapped his forehead. "Have I taught you nothing?!" he cried in mock despair before sobering up a bit. "Are you going to be alright tonight?" _

_"Yeah...I'll be fine." Then without warning, Takato pulled her into another hug, gently encircling her waist with his arms. She leaned into it, resting a head on his shoulder in a posistion no one but him would ever see her in. _

_"Don't worry." Takato said. "We'll throw you a party instead. You may not think it, but we all care about you, Rika. Not just me; everybody. Besides, we haven't thrown a party for you in quite some time!" _

_"You don't have to..." Rika said softly. _

_"But we will. You'll see." Takato pulled back from their hug to look at her again. "Rika, I promise that from this day on, you will never spend a birthday alone ever again." Rika smiled at him, pulling back slightly. "I'll always be here for you...no matter what." _

_"Always?" Rika asked. _

_Takato nodded. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to leave you...except for now. I have to go home and clean out the ovens but...you know, metaphysically, I'm always here..."_

_"Thanks, Goggles." she said smiling. He returned her smile as she turned inside._

_"Oh, and Rika..." Takato said, stepping back closer. Rika turned to see him leaning in, lips slightly open. Her breath caught in her throat and for one half of one second, she thought he was going to kiss her..._

_SLURP!_

_"TAKATO!" Rika cried as Takato slurped up the last of her milkshake_

_End_

"You promised..." Rika sniffled. "You promised I would never be alone again. But...if you leave now... I _will _be, I just know it!" Rika cried. "I'll go back to the way I was before I met you...all cold and mean and..." Rika's voice came out as barely a whisper. "I don't want to. I don't. Like it or not, you changed me, Takato." Rika's tears stopped, replaced by a grim set of determined eyes.

"I won't. Because I'm getting you out of there, Takato..." she knew only Renamon could hear her but spoke as if Takato was standing right there with her. "I'm going to rescue you...I'm going to rescue you and Sora from the heart of the Demon Lord fortress and then the two of us are going to save this city and then..." her voice grew louder with every syllable as newfound strength filled her. "Then, just for kicks and giggles, I'm going to wipe every last _FILTHY DEMON DIGIMON OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH AND SEND THEM SCREAMING, RIGHT BACK TO HELL WHERE THEY BELONG!!" _The force of her speech echoed across the steel and glass canyon, down the long road to the Fuji Station.

Rika felt another hand take her shoulder. She looked up into Tai's glistening amber eyes as he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Tai offered a hand and pulled Rika to her feet. The shared a glance for a moment before grimly nodding to each other.

"Well..." Rika said, shakily wiping her eyes. "Four down; two to go."

"Two to go." Tai said, looking at the TV station at the bottom of the hill. "Hold on Sora. We're coming for you."

* * *

"Lilithmon? Lilithmon?"

Lucemon found Lilithmon in Sora's room again, filing her nails nonchalantly as Sora vacantly stared with dim eyes at the floor. A thick cloud of dark mist surrounded the girl's prostrate form; Sora looked sickly and pale, eyes red from crying.

"Yes?" Lilithmon asked. "This better be good; my favorite show is on."

"It seems...that we are the only two left." Lucemon said gravely. Lilithmon swiveled around in her seat to look at him.

"Only two?" Lilithmon said, eyes wiggling in an upward direction.

"Well...the only two who can fight. Although," Lucemon said, waving a hand through the mist. "This amount of despair could bring our friend up to full strength." He took a deep breath, reveling in the scent as Sora shivered. "Check on the boy, we'll be ready for battle soon enough." Lilithmon raised a claw in mock salute as she gathered her skirts and left the room. Lucemon turned to a monitor showing a group of children and their Digimon walking up the road. "If it is a fight you desire..." Lucemon said, touching a ring on his finger which started to glow. "It is a fight we shall have."

* * *

"Ooh, Takato..."

"Mmm..."

"Hee hee! That tickles"

Guilmon groaned in frustration, struggling with his chains as he watched his Tamer get torn apart by a vicious, heartless succubus…while enjoying it. Rika's lips caressed Takato's as they rolled around on the bed. Takato had long been rid of everything but his boxers and Rika wasn't exactly making things easy for the Gogglehead. She trailed kisses from his neck, all the way down his chest, abs before stopping and sitting up.

"Ready to kick it up a notch, pookie bear?" Rika asked, reaching her hands behind her back, playing with her bra clip.

"Yeah...I-" Takato stopped, eyes open. "Pookie Bear?"

"Yeah..." Rika said

"Pookie?"

"You know...pookie. Like a pet name." Rika said, eyes shifting back and forth, nervously.

Takato sat up. "In the four years that I've known Rika, she has never, _never _used the work Pookie in any way that wasn't snide and mocking."

"I...uh..." Rika mumbled feebly. _Lilithmon hadn't told her not to say that!_

"She's called me Goggles, Gogglehead, Gogglebrain, Gogglehair, Gogglemon, WarGogglemon, MetalGogglemon, RedGogglemon when I get sunburned, Gogglor, Terror of Tokyo when I'm angry and Goglita when _she's _angry."

"Takato..." Rika said, reaching to cup his cheek but Takato grabbed it firmly and threw her off him. Rika looked up to see Takato pulling his pants on and tugging his shirt over his head.

"And where do you think you're going?" Rika asked, lazily trailing a hand up her leg.

Takato looked back at her in disgust. "I'm going to find Sora. Then the two of us are getting out of here."

"Sora? I thought you liked me!" Rika pouted.

Takato rolled his eyes. "Let's go Guilm-"

"HYAH!!"

Takato gasped in shock as "Rika" launched herself off the bed and tackled him to the floor. Her hands were at his neck, only this time they weren't caressing him so much as they were squeezing the life out of him.

"Shame..." the beast was saying as Guilmon struggled to free himself. "You were one of the cuter ones. Lilithmon usually sends me after the old, fat or ugly ones but you..." she said with a smile. "Were a treat. I'd like to have found out just how _good _you are but c'est la vie." She shrugged. "I guess I'll-"

"PYRO SPHERE!!"

Rika looked up in time to see a ball of fire hurtle towards her. She flung up her arms in defense but it was no good. The blast consumed her and she vanished in a puff of data.

"Guilmon!" Takato cried, throwing his arms around his partner's neck. "How'd you get out?"

"When she knocked you to the floor, the key on the rack fell loose and then I unlocked it and then I blasted her!" Guilmon said proudly.

"Alright, boy! Now, let's-" but Takato was cut off by Guilmon's low growl. Lilithmon stood in the doorway, staring at the data cloud in horror.

"You killed her!!" she cried, indignantly. "Well if you were into that kind of thing, you should have just said! Now's she's gone for good!"

"Boo hoo." Takato mumbled darkly. "Where's Sora at?"

"Right here, _sweetie..." _a voice crooned in his ear as a hand gently touched his shoulder. Takato rolled his eyes, not even bothering to turn around as Guilmon incinerated the fake Sora

"Got any more succubae for me to destroy?" Takato asked. "Besides you, I mean."

"Me?" she giggled. "Aren't you biting off more than you can chew, _rookie?_ To beat me you would need your Digivice, which I have right..." She fumbled around in her skirts, looking for the device. "Right...where is it? I know I had it here somewhere..."

"Looking for this?" Two voices said in unison. Lilithmon snapped her head up to come face to face with a knight, donned in red and white armor, sporting a shield and lance as a cape billowed behind him.

"No FAIR!! Wh-when did you get that?" Lilithmon whined, childishly

'Back when you were playing grabass with us, earlier" Gallantmon said, dual voices echoing in his metal helmet. "You should really keep your eye on those kinds of things. Now," he said, slamming the lance into Lilithmon's dress, pinning her to the wall. "Are you going to tell me where Sora is or am I going to have to beat it out of-"

"NAZAR NAIL!" Gallantmon raised a shield as the corpse arm lashed out, dragging noisily across the shield. Gallantmon grabbed his lance and took a step back as Lilithmon glared at him.

"So...I offer you pleasure beyond your wildest dreams and you spurn it! So be it...I'll peel the flesh from your bones and feed it to your girlfriend before I _gut her like a fish!" _

Gallantmon laughed darkly, raising his shield and setting his lance in an upright position. "Please, honey. I think you'll find that we're all that you can handle."

Lilithmon smiled, cocking her head to the side, raising her claw. "We shall see...En GAURDE!"

* * *

_AN: Hoo dawgy! We're cookin now! Next time on that there Digimons Gallantmon has gotten hisself into one doozy of a pickle with that there Lilithmon! And Tai and Rika r going up against them there forces of darkness in the form of Lucemon. Sparks a'flying and everything! And Sora's gonna find out somethin real special about her n Biyomon while Tai's sacrifice is gonna blow the lid off the place! What's gonna happen next? Shucks, I don't know; and I'm the one a writin it! YEEE HAAAAWWW (Banjo music plays) _

_**All Hillbillyness aside, I'd like everyone who's here for the Taiora to take my Survey on the Taiora song for later in the story. Visit my polls to vote! Vote or Die! NEXT TIME ON DIGIMON: DIGITAL MONSTERS! We throw all the character building right in the trash and have us a good ole fashioned EPIK BRAWL! There's going to be fire, and lightning and Demons and people getting slammed through walls and stabbed in the chest and shot full of lightning and death-or-glory last stands and Love confessions and, and and...STUFF!! **_

_Oh and here's a shout out to _

_229 people in the USA_

_36 United Kingdomers_

_32 Canadians! (eh?) _

_13 Australians _

_16 people from Singapore_

_7 People from Denmark_

_3 people from Indonesia_

_4 people from Malaysia_

_5 people from Sweden_

_7 people from the Philipines _

_2 Italians _

_2 people from Finland_

_2 people from France_

_1 person in Portugal (Ola! Como sente para ser único em Portugal para gostar de minha história?) _

_FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!!_

_2 people from Croatia_

_3 people from New Zealand_

_3 people from Peru_

_2 People from Mexico_

_2 people from Latvia_

_One from Norway_

_One from Czech Revar_

_One from Germany_

_AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE!! _

_Thanks to my repeat offenders from around the globe! _


	12. Angels and Demons

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Angels and Demons

_AN: BEFORE YOU PROCEED, I'd just like to point out that the reason for the crumby fight scenes thus far is because I still have about TEN battles to write and I wanted the battles against Lucemon, Lilithmon and (SPOILER!) were going to be the best. I still have two fallen angels and one eight stage "Super Boss" to get through so LET'S GET DANGEROUS!! I'd also like to point out that Sora's OOC depression is a product of Lilithmon. Yeah. She's that good. That and the fact that she's had a really, REALLY bad day (Matt broke up with her, Biyomon's all messed up and she's being assaulted by demons from hell. Just not a good day…but it's about to get a little better!) Thank you for your patience and LET THE DYING…BEGIN!_

_I don't care what the wall is, I'm going through!-Tai, Adventure 01, The Earthquake of MetalGreymon_

The animal life on planet Earth has, for some unexplainable reason, a sixth sense that senses danger before it actually happens. In instances of flood, earthquakes and hurricane attacks, animals have been shown to grow agitated, fearful and take precautionary measures to save themselves. If Tai Kamiya had known this, he would have been concerned earlier when the birds in the park suddenly took flight and the squirrels started scampering around like maniacs before the mist descended. Now, as he marched beside Matt and Rika down the avenue that would lead to the Fuji Building he began, for the first time that day, to notice that they and they're Digimon were the only living things on the street. There wasn't as much as a flick of a tail or a flap of a wing. Even the summer cicadas that were usually maddeningly obnoxious this time of year were silent. Tai glanced at his watch: 5:26 in the morning. The bakers would have been getting up by now, making the doughnuts and cinnamon rolls for the morning rush. The streets that would have contained early morning workers, grocery store owners and joggers was now as barren and as desolate as a ruin. He felt like an archeologist, stumbling upon the once great city of Tokyo.

All around him, his companions were silent, communicating only in whispers when they had to. Renamon scouted ahead, keen fox eyes leering through the mist for any signs of danger, holding up her paw from time to time when she thought she saw something; it was always a false alarm and served no purpose except for slowing down the already excruciatingly slow pace. After a night of battling Demon Lord Digimon, Tai was ready to finish the fight, once and for all.

It was getting clearer now; the mist was less thin here. Tai thought this strange, seeing as how the mist just got thicker every time a Demon Lord appeared but made no comment to either Matt or Rika. The closer they got to the building, the thinner and thinner the mist got until the stars and the brilliant full moon shone down on them, illuminating the street.

Ryo turned around. Behind him, the way they came was totally clear and he could see all the way back to the coffee shop where they had stopped before. Puzzled by this, he wondered where the mist could have got to, eyes following the disappearing walkway back, back, back, all the way to Shiokaze…

"Oh…my…God." Ryo breathed.

"What's up, Ryo?" Ken asked, turning around to face his old friend. Ken followed Ryo's finger in the direction of Shiokaze Park. When he saw what had happened, his stomach dropped and his throat closed up.

"Tai…" Ken squeaked. "TAI!"

"What? What's…" Tai's eyes widened as he saw where the mist had gone. It swirled and condensed around Sora's birthday party location, spiraling upward into the night. It climbed higher and higher until it looked like it reached the moon. For a moment the mist stopped, then vanished all together, revealing what it had done.

A tall slab of rock jutted up into the Tokyo skyline, towering over the highest of the skyscrapers. Blacker than the night surrounding it, it still gave off an ethereal glow, bleeding mist from its edges. All around him, the Digimon were getting nervous. Palmon squeaked at the sight of it, jumping into Mimi's arms while Hawkmon hid behind Yolei's skirt. Gatomon and Patamon stared at the obelisk with fear and loathing in their eyes; even Renamon seemed unnerved by its presence, tail swishing agitatedly.

"What is it?" Izzy asked Henry. "What's wrong?"

Henry and Rika exchanged a dark glance with Ryo. "It's a Hell Gate." Henry explained darkly. "Just like the one that appeared in Odaiba in our world."

"It's for when there're too many demons to Bioemerge." Rika said. "They'll open a gate straight to the darkest corner of the Digital World and let them out…"

"Who?" Tai asked. "More Mephistomon?"

"No…" Rika breathed. "Worse."

Suddenly, twin screams rent the night. Tai whipped around to seen Kari and Ken clutching at their heads, wailing in agony as TK and Yolei held them in their arms.

"Kari! Kari, what is it? What's wrong?" TK asked

"They're coming…" Kari said in a voice not quite her own. "They're coming for us."

"Who's coming?" TK asked, only to be answered by Ken

"The Children of Wrath… the Sons and Daughters of Terror… the Family of Death." Ken whispered.

"Who, Ken?" Yolei asked, looking at the gate. A low rumbling shook the ground as the Hell Gate shook with sudden force.

"Arkadimon…" Ken and Kari said in unison.

_BOOM!_

The peace of the night was shattered as the gate burst open, spilling thousands of dark shapes on to the ground below. From their spot, ten miles away, Tai could only make out a swarm of smaller shapes, accompanied by a host of differently shaped Digimon, looming over them. Without warning, the swarm lurched forward and began tearing down the waterfront and towards them.

'Time to go!" Tai called out as the Digidestined bolted past them, TK carrying Kari and Yolei and Joe supporting a still drowsy Ken. They tore down the remaining hundred yards, Renamon kicking the door down and holding it open as the Digidestined and their Tamers carted through. Renamon slammed the door shut, the howling, scraping, screaming demons still a few miles off.

Panting with exertion, Tai scanned the building where Matt's father worked. He used to think that the building where Matt's dad worked was the coolest building but had the ugliest lobby. The developers had sprung for the hotel approach, having one sliding glass door with the rest of the building blocked off with solid concrete, tiled with marble. Now, as he studied the low counters and solid concrete wrapped steel support pillars, Tai was thankful that they had gone for security instead of aesthetic purposes. Already, Beelzemon and Renamon were pulling the ironclad filing cabinets out of the wall, stacking them up to make barriers they could hide behind. Without even a word between them, they quickly converted the main hall into a defendable fortress.

"Okay," Rika said. "They're going to send in the little buggers first; In-Training and Rookie. If there's a choice, go for the in-training, the little white ones. They're weak, but they can absorb your Digimon. They'll pave the way for the big boys. Once they come in, they're going to blow the front of the building off so the Champion, Perfect and Mega Arkadimon can get in. We need to make sure they don't knock out the support beams or else the whole place is coming down. Henry, Matt and Beelzemon are in charge."

"What about me?" Davis asked.

"No.":

"Awww…."

"What about me?" Tai asked looking at Rika.

"You're coming with me." Rika said, shuffling her deck. "The only way we're going to stop these Arkadimon is if we nip them at the source and that means going up to take out Lilithmon and Lucemon. From the looks of things, it looks like they're packing Megas so we need MegaGargomon, Justimon and MetalGarurumon here to even the odds. Besides…" Rika said, locking eyes with him. "This is personal."

"Looks like Takato's already started your work for you…" Henry replied, pointing up through the glass ceiling at the dueling figures in the sky.

* * *

"Nazar Nail!"

Night air filled Takato's lungs as Gallantmon Crimson Mode flew through the wall, tumbling through the air until one of the inter building walkways caught him. He landed, flaring his wings and spinning his sword Blutgang in his left hand and Gungir in his right as he glared through the hole he had just come through. Through he crumbling wall, Lilithmon daintily floated out on black wings, hand on hip while her claw hung by her side.

"Gallantmon, Gallantmon, Gallantmon…" Lilithmon taunted softly. "If you wanted to _spear _me that badly, you should have just asked."

"Shut up!" Gallantmon cried.

"Men really should be more forthright with their feelings; I wouldn't have wasted time with "Rika" if I knew this is what you were af-"

"Invincible Sword!" Gallantmon leapt off the walkway, Blutgang flashing in the light of his wings as he brought it down on Lilithmon's head. The demon ducked sideways, swiping at him with a claw as he passed.

"Naughty, Naughty…" Lilithmon reprimanded. "Didn't mummy teach you not to hit ladies?"

"You barely qualify." Gallantmon hissed. "Final Justice" A shaft of Light erupted from Gungir and flew at Lilithmon.

"Phantom Pain!" Lilithmon opened her mouth and spewed a dark mist that collided with the Gungir Blast

"Come on, Sir Knight." Lilithmon waved the mist away. "If you want me, you got to get a little _physical._" Lilithmon lashed her claw out, only to be deflected by a spear twirl as Gallantmon leapt up to her walkway platform.

"Guilmon." Takato said, inside Gallantmon. "Can you get a bead on Yokomon? Do you know where she is?"

"I'm trying Takato but LOOK OUT!" Takato looked up again to see Lilithmon soaring at him, claw extended. "Sora's across the way, in that building over there but you can't get to her! The room is solid concrete!"

Before Takato could respond, something sharp ripped through Gallantmon's left wing. He clutched his left shoulder in agony, noticing a large chunk of feathers missing. He looked behind him to see Lilithmon blow his missing feathers back at him from their place in her Nazar Nail.

"She knows that the only place she can hurt us is our wings…" Takato said thoughtfully looking over at Lilithmon, primed for another attack and back at the wall that separated him from Sora and Yokomon

"Time to even the odds. Follow my lead, boy." Gallantmon sheathed Gungir and held Blutgang loosely in his left hand, both wings flared up as big as they could go He waited as Lilithmon flew at him, ready to tear his head with one Nazar Nail. Takato willed himself to be patient; it was like Rika always said.

"_Remember, Gogglehead, a good Tamer never takes the fight to an opponent. They wait until the opponent brings the fight to them…" _

Gallantmon patiently waited as Lilithmon drew closer and closer. As she dove for his other wing, it folded and Lilithmon lost her momentum as she flew tumbling through the air and into the wall. Takato smiled when he saw the cracks in it. Without another word, Gallantmon marched over to Lilithmon and grabbed her by her wavy, black locks.

"HEY! What are you doing? Cut it out! OW! Stop it!" Lilithmon cried, kicking and flailing as Takato dragged her to the edge of the walkway, tossing Gungir so it landed in the wall that Sora was behind, marking it. Then, one hand tangled in the screaming Demon's hair, he started to spin her around like a hammer. Faster and faster he picked up speed until they were a red and black blur. With one almighty heave, he launched her high into the air, drawing Blutgang as he did. He did a few warm up swings as he waited for the howling banshee to come down to his level.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!! I'LL MAKE YOUR GIRLFRIEND SUFFER FOR THIS!! SHE'LL WISH SHE WAS NEVER CONCIEVED ONCE ME AND MY INCUBUS FRIENDS ARE DONE WITH-"

_CRACK!_

Like a Home Run Derby King up to bat, Gallantmon collided the blade with Lilithmon's spinning form. At the speed she was going, she abruptly changed course and flew, screaming into the hilt of Gungir. The force of her impact drove the spear clean through the wall and through the other side, along with Lilithmon.

* * *

"YES!" Rika cried, punching the air. "Take it to her, Goggles! Give her the Royal Knight treatment!" Gallantmon looked down for a second, spotting Rika and the others before jumping through the wall, sword flashing.

"That's Takato?!" Tai asked, looking up at the knight who floated through the hole he made after Lilithmon.

"Come on!" Rika cried, running for the stairs. "Takato's got Lilithmon all stitched up but Lucemon's still up there. My D-Arc says he's on the dome of the sphere. Renamon, let's go!"

"Ready, Agumon?" Tai asked, Digivice glowing

"Let's get it on!"

"AGUMON WARP DIGIVOLVE TO…WARGREYMON!"

"RENAMON BIOMERGE TO…SAKUYAMON!!"

Tai looked down from WarGreymon's horn at Matt and the others. "Take care of yourselves."

"Just wipe out those Demon Lords so we can go home." Beelzemon said

"Tai!" Tai locked gazes with Matt, his blue eyes misty. "Tell her…I'm sorry."

Tai flashed a somewhat shaky smile at Matt. "You can tell her yourself when we bring her back. I'm not letting you get out of this one with a letter!"

Matt chuckled as Sakuyamon looked up and with one almighty leap, crashed through the glass with Tai on her heels, soaring through the air. As they passed the hole in the wall, Tai could just make out Gallantmon clashing with Lilithmon (who had somehow got his spear.) and an unconscious figure, swirling with dark mist.

"SORA!" Tai called out but before he could rush to the rescue, Sakuyamon grabbed WarGreymon's horn and dragged him up after her. "LET ME GO!!" Tai bellowed at Sakuyamon. "Take us back!"

"There's nothing you can do, Tai!" Sakuyamon said, looking back. "Takato knows what he's doing and if you were to get involved now, you would only screw his rhythm up."

"But…" Tai said, looking back at the shrinking gap in the wall.

"Don't worry; Takato will take care of Sora once he's taken care of Lilithmon. Right now, we have bigger fish to fry.

They floated up, high over the dome of the Fuji building, looking down at the hoards of Arkadimon that tried in vain to get inside. A blast of white light shot through the front door, scattering a squad of Rookie and In-Training to the winds. Tai could see some of the bigger ones now, one large one with wings and a horn seemed to be directing the flow of battle on his end, barking orders and observing the clash from behind his own lines.

"I thought you would come…"

They were shocked that a voice so soft could carry such great distance. Lucemon had his back to them as he surveyed the battle below. The Arkdimon were struggling, and as the Perfect Arkdimon pressed, they began to gain ground. Below them, the doors creaked and caved in.

"Did you know that the Digital World wasn't created in one try?" Lucemon asked. Sakuyamon tightened her grip on her staff and said nothing as WarGreymon simply stood, glaring at the Demon Lord.

"The first world the Makers created was perfect, in every way." Lucemon said, reveling in the sight of battle. "There was no death, pain, suffering or struggle…so it was destroyed. The Makers thought that the purpose of life was _pain _and _suffering." _Lucemon let out a mirthless laugh. "I dared to suggest otherwise and I was branded a heretic and cast out of heaven."

"You thought humans were inherently evil and you imprisoned the Sovereigns, that's why you were thrown out." Tai said

"I DARED TO SPEAK THE TRUTH!" Lucemon roared, turning his head to face them. "You claim to be so righteous, so pure, so good. And yet, still, you nearly killed each other when Daemon released his crest power." He lightly fingered the chain around his neck. "All your morals…your so called "virtues" are merely a mummer's farce; ready to crumble in the face of opposition."

"Enough of your talk, it makes me sick." Sakuyamon hissed in twin voices, pointing her staff at the angel, accusingly. "You sought the power of the Sovereigns, a power no mortal should ever possess. You wanted to rule the Digital World with supreme authority. You sought to make yourself as powerful as a God!"

Lucemon threw his head back and let out a high, cruel laugh. "Foolish child…is that what your masters have taught you? I do not now and never have desired the power of a God."

"Then why did you kidnap Sora and Takato?" Tai asked, arms crossed. As long as he was talking, he might as well get some answers.

"Freedom." Lucemon said. "I sought freedom."

"For yourself and the other Demons?" WarGreymon grumbled. "Freedom from Hell?"

"No…freedom for you. For them," he gestured at his army. "For half of her," with a jerk of his thumb over at Sakuyamon. "For all Digimon who have suffered under human tyranny!"

"Human tyranny?" Renamon spoke alone. "What madness is this? Without humans, we would not exist. The humans created us; created you!"

"To be their pets! Their slaves!" Lucemon strode up and down, agitatedly. "They are but weak, stubborn and foolish. They created the Sovereigns not as a means to aid us, but as a tool to enslave us. Through their Digi Gods they control our lives, subjugate us to horrible conditions and call it_ destiny._" Lucemon scowled. "Even now, in the heat of battle they send _us _to fight their wars. Don't either of you see?" he pleaded, turning to WarGreymon and Sakuyamon. "You don't have to serve these pitiful little meat bags anymore! You are _WARGREYMON! _A titan amongst Digimon! You could go to war for _you _and win great prizes for _yourself_ instead of tagging along with your master here!"

"Tai is not my master." WarGreymon said, looking down at his partner. "We are friends, partners, equals."

"Equals? So he consulted with you before bringing you here?" WarGreymon said nothing. "Your silence speaks volumes. Going after his precious little Love was his battle, and yet you were still caught in it. You could have been hurt, killed, destroyed but he wouldn't have cared as long as his mate was safe." Tai blushed red and glared at Lucemon angrily.

Lucemon sighed. "As I said before, I do not wish to possess the powers of your crests."

"Then…why did you come here?" Tai asked. "Why do you want us so badly?"

Lucemon smiled, floating into the air. "To drown your hearts in sorrow and despair so that your crests would never trouble me again. I do not wish for the power of the Gods…I wish to destroy it." Lucemon pointed at Tai. "You and your friends will drown in the darkness of your hearts and so your Sovereign Power will grow cold and die.

"You'll have to get through me first." WarGreymon snarled, stepping in front of Tai.

"And me." Sakuyamon echoed, stepping beside WarGreymon.

Lucemon smiled somewhat sadly. "The hounds are loyal to their masters…so be it. Any Digimon who stands with the humans casts their lot in with theirs and will be treated accordingly. Your world is at an end." Lucemon mocked, addressing Tai. "The tyranny of the Sovereigns is over and the Age of Digimon is at hand!"

* * *

_Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, gotta kill them, kill them all, except the humans, kill the Digi Traitors…smash, grind cut cut cut and kill kill kill _

"Come on, come on…"

_Who's that?! Human! No, Digimon! Who that?! Kill?!_

"Come on you ugly mother, come and get me…"

_Sniff Sniff. Digimon, yeah, definitely Digimon. Must kill, must kill, must kill, _

"That's right…come to me…Come to Justimon you little Rookie punk."

_What say?! Don't care: Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill _

"JUSTICE KICK!"

The Rookie Arkadimon's single train of thought came to a screaming halt, bringing his foot down on the poor Rookie's head. It's pink, misshapen head caved and he vanished. Justimon panted heavily; by his count that was the twenty second Rookie he destroyed in the last half hour. They were coming by the droves now, Stubby pink Rookies swinging their arm scythes in circles while vaulting the barriers, little white In-Trainings, skinny little legs clacking noisily on the tiles while looming over them, Snarling Perfect Arkadimon lashed out.

"FREEZE…TENTACLE!!" Justimon jumped sideways as the Perfect Arkadimon lashed out with his tentacle, deleting a row of Rookies instead.

"Stand back; we got this!" Ryo looked back to see Paildramon line up his Gatling guns aimed at the Perfect Arkadimon

"DESPERADO BLASTER!!" Energy bullets whizzed on either side of Justimon as he charged down the center. The bullets ripped holes in the demon's data as Justimon vaulted off a downed Champion and into the air.

"THUNDER…" he primed his Accel Arm and aimed for the top of the Perfect's head. "CLAP!" There was a deafening clap of thunder as the arm smashed into the long, white face. The Perfect screamed in horror and Justimon fell through the cloud of data and smashed his fist into the ground

_BOOOM! _

A shockwave ripped through the earth, driving a crack in the concrete and sending scores of Arkadimon howling to their doom. Across the field, the Digidestined cheered and a new life surged through the combatants.

"_If I had a hammer_," Zudamon sang, driving his hammer down into a cluster of Arkadimon. "_I'd a'hammer in the morning," Boom! "I'd a'hammer in the evening," Boom! "All over this land!" Boom! _

"Hey, save some for the rest of us!" MagnaAngemon laughed, swinging his sword through a rogue Rookie.

"You're one to talk!" Lilymon giggled, wielding her Flower Cannon like a bludgeon. "You've had more than your fair share!"

"So what does that say about us?" MegaGargomon asked, having long since ceased his missle fire and was now just stomping and kicking Arkadimon like ants.

"Hey, this isn't a contest!" Angewoman said, disapprovingly. "This is serious business!"

"Betcha I kill more Champions than you!" MetalGarurumon howled, launching a barrage of rockets right into the heart of the demon cluster.

"OK: now it's a contest." Angewoman shot a quiver of arrows at a Perfect looming over Aquiliamon.

"Hey! Remember me?!" Beelzemon was just striding through the crowd, blasting any Arkadimon who got in his way. "Lord Beelzemon?" _BLAM! _"Ring any bells?" _BLAM! _"What about you, tough guy? You want a piece of this?" _BLAM!_

Justimon drove his Voltage Blade through another Champion's chest, kicking off his dissolving form and floating into the air, to survey the battle. His hearts plummeted when he saw the line of demons stretching all the way back to the gate, swarming over buildings, just waiting for their chance to fight. It didn't matter how many they killed, there would be another dozen to take their place.

"Ryo, what is it?" Ken called out, looking up at Justimon. "What's wrong?"

"I hope you guys aren't tired," Justimon said, loading his Blitz Arm and taking aim. "Cause it's going to be a long night." Ryo's heart sped up as a fresh wave of Rookies charged their post. _I hope Rika and Tai are having more luck than we are_

* * *

Sakuyamon roared, leaping forward. "Spirit Kick!" she charged her heel and lunged at the smiling Demon Lord.

"Dramon Destroyer!" WarGreymon lunged with his claw and Lucemon who still hadn't budged an inch.

It all happened so fast, Tai wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but he blinked and WarGreymon and Sakuyamon were hurtling overhead and into another building. He looked back at Lucemon who was checking his cuffs, nonchalantly.

"This fighting is pointless." Lucemon said. "We Digimon are of the same sort; we should be allies."

"Don't…" Sakuyamon gasped, clutching her side with one hand and her staff with the other. "Ever…compare us to you. You…are just a spoiled little brat who didn't get what he wanted for his birthday so he goes and throws a fit. That's all you are, Lucemon; a glorified BRAT!"

"PARADISE LOST!" Sakuyamon reeled as Lucemon sailed in with an uppercut, sending the shaman Digimon spinning through the air. Lucemon flew up, driving a knee into her stomach before knocking her earthward with a double fist. Skauyamon plummeted like a stone towards the rooftop, crashing through and down through the floors below.

"SAKUYAMON!" WarGreymon cried in horror. Howling with rage, he barreled forward, claws out ready to skewer the fallen angel.

Lucemon ducked his blow, planting a foot in his chest and sending him sky high. WarGreymon tumbled through space as Lucemon checked his nails, almost boringly. Then as WarGreymon tumbled back to earth, Lucemon shot up, driving his fist into WarGreymon's back.

"WARGREYMON!!" Tai cried. WarGreymon's eyes widened in pain and shock before glazing over and going dark. Lucemon dropped him to the roof, rolling him over and laying his arms across his chest. Tai staggered blindly forward, seeing nothing, not the raging battle, not the fallen angel, nothing except for his fallen partner.

"Agumon…" He said softly, eyes clouding with sudden tears as Lucemon turned away in disgust. WarGreymon had been still for sometime, the ethereal glow gone from his armor. "Come on…get up. This guy's got nothing on you! You can take him, I know you can!" _Sniff. _"Everybody's counting on us; Kari, Matt, Joe, Mimi, Izzy, Davis, Ken, TK, Cody, Yolei…Sora. They're all pulling for you…we can't let them down…"

"Tai…" WarGreymon cracked open an eye.

"Yes! You're up! We can do this, just go in and give it to him. Keep your head down and-"

"Goodbye…" WarGreymon said.

"What? What are you saying?" Tai looked on in shock as Agumon, his partner and one of his oldest friends, began to break up and dissipate.

"Agumon, no! No you can't leave, not now!" Tai desperately tried to grab on to the Mega's arm but his hand simply passed through. "Come on, hold on! Y-you can make it. J-just hold on…hold on…"

"Tai…I'm…sorry." WarGreymon choked out as his data began floating into the air.

"No…" Tai sobbed. "I'm s-s-sorry…I just dragged you up here without talking to you about it…I'm sorry…th-this was my fight…you didn't have to help me with it…"

WarGreymon lifted his claw up, placing what was left on his partner's shoulder.

"That's…what…friends…do…" And with that, the Dragon of Courage, exploded in a flash of white light and a stream of data.

* * *

Gallantmon charged Lilithmon, swinging Blutgang over his head ready to strike as Lilithmon stood, shakily. He drew back, spinning right to strike at Lilithmon's exposed wing.

_CLANG!_

Gallantmon fell back as his sword ground against her rigid, sharp wings. She smiled at him through a mask of pain. "You're not the only one with tricks up their sleeve." She swiped at him with her Nazar Nail, causing him to fly back as she plucked a wing from her back, swinging it in a figure eight. She smiled at the shivering Sora, closing her eyes and inhaling the mist deeply. "Now," she said, blood red eyes opening. "Let's play." Her Nazar Nail grew together, fingers melding to form a sharp looking lance tip on the end of her arm. Gallantmon held Blutgang and Gungir in his arms, ready to strike. He leapt forward, poised to-

"SORA!!" Both Gallantmon and Lilithmon looked up in surprise to see WarGreymon standing at the mouth of the room, a young man on his horn, hair wildly blowing in the wind. Even in the heat of battle, with a Demon Lord standing not ten feet from him, he couldn't help but feel a geeky sense of awe as his childhood hero floated in front of him. Before he could say anything, Sakuyamon appeared and dragged him upwards and out of sight. Takato had only a moment to breathe before Lilithmon was upon him again, she swung hard, digging the blade into the wall, cutting off a chunk of concrete as she did. Gallantmon ducked the blow, slamming a mail backed gauntlet into her stomach and driving the hilt of his blade into her chin. Lilithmon staggered back, swinging her Nazar Lance in a huge circle, shooting it at Gallantmon and wrapping it around his arm, dragging him in and kicking him out the room into free space.

Gallantmon floated in midair as his opponent flew out after him, dragging her blade on the ground before jumping into the sky. They stared each other down, the sounds of battle above and below made any talking useless, not that they had much to say to begin with. Suddenly, as if agreeing on a silent cue, they attacked. Gallantmon swung high, leaping back as Lilithmon ducked the blow, spinning low to strike at his waist. Gallantmon caught the blade, sending her back as he pushed off. In the heat of battle, they had both forgotten special attacks; this was a fight, and a dirty one at that. Matter like these could only be resolved by physical violence.

With an almighty kick, he sent her flying into an abandoned office building across the street, tossing his sword in after her. There was a resounding _clang _as the blade was deflected back, caught in his left arm and poised to strike again.

Lilithmon lunged wildly, fighting like maniac, slashing, swinging and thrusting without thought. What she lacked in discipline, she made up for in pure stopping power. Lilithmon grabbed Gallantmon by his brestplate, throwing him up into the floors above with a crash of concrete. He spun up, landing on his feet to see Lilithmon flying after him, sword ready to strike.

Gallantmon raised Blutgang high, colliding with Lilithmon in a way that shook his whole body. Lilithmon flew back down, crashing through floor after floor on her way to the lobby. Gallantmon dove after her, sword held with two hands above his helm. As he reached the lobby, he lunged for Lilithmon's prostrate form only to strike the ground as she rolled away.

_BOOM!_

The building started to shake and shiver as a shockwave ran from Blutgang to the support beams. Gallantmon and Lilithmon shared a glance; not a chance in hell they were leaving. The clashed once more, sparks flying as their steel collided. Bricks and pieces of molding fell and were used as projectiles propelled by sword play. Lilithmon sent a piece of concrete flying at Gallantmon, gasping in shock as he divided it with his sword and sent both pieces flying back at her.

_CRASH!_

She flew through the glass doors and sailed away as the building collapsed behind her. She landed with a rolling thud in the middle of the demon battle. She dragged herself to her feet, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she smugly surveyed the damaged building. That was that; he couldn't have survived that…

"Lilithmon." She scowled to see the knight standing by the DigiDestined, Gungir and Blutgang at his sides.

"Gallantmon!" One of the humans cried. Between them, the demons surveyed the combatants on either side of them. They suddenly felt very venerable; very exposed.

"Stay out of this, Ryo." Gallantmon said, setting himself up.

"Yes, let mummy and daddy talk, little boy…" Lilithmon sneered.

"This is between me…"

"And Him…"

The Arkadimon in the middle of the two looked confused, unsure if they should fight of flee. Before they came to a decision, the two struck, blades swinging like pinwheels in the sun as the Demons struggled to escape. Anything that was in their way was cut to ribbons by their fury. Gallantmon didn't see the hoards of demons that opposed him; only Lilithmon. They finally hacked and slashed their way into the middle, clashing blades and sending a shockwave that exterminated half of Arkadimon's demon army. The Arkadimon struck, making no distinction between Royal Knight and Demon Lord as they tried to destroy the ones who had slain their comrades. Gallantmon skewered a Rookie while fending off another attack from Lilithmon. Lilithmon slew the Arkadimon without a second thought, pausing only to strike at Gallantmon. The battle raged on this way for some time until Lilithmon grabbed Gallantmon around the neck.

"Let's go somewhere a little more…private." With that, she hurled him skyward and back towards the building.

* * *

"Agumon…" Tai said quietly, grasping at the data stream that had once been his best friend. He felt numb and hollow inside as if Lucemon had reached in and pulled out his heart.

"Your little pet is gone…" Lucemon mocked, circling the fallen DigiDestined leader. "Your friends are all going to die…your love lies bleeding life on the floor below us…" Lucemon paused, placing his hands on the boy's head. "Game Over…" Lucemon remarked softly. "You lost."

"Let's play a new game."

Lucemon looked up in time to see a purple heeled boot connect with his face. He jerked back away from Tai, sliding along the roof and coming to a stop just before the ledge. Sakuyamon cracked her neck, glaring at the fallen angel with an angry smirk on her face.

"The new game is called, Kick the Demon Lord. Ready? Set. Go!" Skauyamon launched Lucemon off the ledge with a kick, grabbing his long, blonde hair and snappping him back an slamming into the roof tiled. She flipped in the air and landed heel first on Lucemon's chest. Kicking, stomping and slamming her sharp heeled boots into the Demon's chest, Sakuyamon beat out a freakish dance as she ground Lucemon into the roof. Lucemon recovered, grabbing her leg and swinging her into the ground like a sack of potatoes. Skauyamon twisted out, aiming a kick at Lucemon's head which he ducked and returned with a spinning back hand. Skauyamon caught his fist, flipping him on his back and dropping an elbow on his chest.

Tai felt tears silently sliding down his face as he gazed into the cloud of Agumon's data. He was gone, slain by Lucemon and yet…why wasn't he disappearing? Other Digimon vanished into data as soon as they were slain but Agumon's data lingered in a small, bright orange cloud in front of him.

_Tai…_

Tai looked back at Sakuyamon and Lucemon but they were locked in battle and neither of them had spoken his name.

_Tai…_

Confused, Tai looked around for the voices. They spoke at the same time, saying the same thing. Tentatively, he looked back at the cloud before daring to voice his hope.

"A-Agumon?" he asked

_No…_

Tai's heart sank as the voices responded.

_I am something different now…something stronger, perhaps…_

"You mean…you digivolved?" Tai eyed the cloud apprehensively.

_Yes…and no. In my final moments I channeled all my power through the core of your Digivice to try and Digivolve past WarGreymon. It seems I was missing something…_

"Agumon…who is that in there with you? It sounds like you DNA digivolved with someone but I can't tell who…what do you mean you're missing something?"

_Tell me, Tai. If you could fight in my stead, would you? _

"I…I would. I would in a heartbeat but…I'm only human…I can't even dent Lucemon."

_You don't know until you try…_

"What?!"

_Tai…I want help you but I need your power…I need your strength…I need your courage. I need you to strike Lucemon, just once. _

"But…I don't know if I-"

_ARE YOU THE CHOSEN ONE OF COURAGE OR OF COWARDICE?! YOU GIVE ALL YOUR FAITH TO YOUR FRIENDS AND SAVE NONE FOR YOURSELF!! Believe in yourself the way I believe in you and together we will put an end to this madness, once and for all! _

Tai looked back over at the fight. Lucemon had thrown Sakuyamon off the building, gazing down at her before turning his gaze back to Tai. Tai glared at the angel, standing up and clenching a fist.

"Game over…no, we're not done yet." Tai stood up, striding over to Lucemon as the angel walked towards him, smiling to himself.

"You bring these _things _to my world…" Tai was talking to Lucemon, walking faster now. "Demolish half my city…hurt my little sister…kill my friends and neighbors…and try to destroy the crests." Tai broke into a run as Lucemon was only a few hundred feet away. His digivice was blinking wildly, blinking three words over and over. The cloud of Data was following him, hovering behind him and casting light ahead of him "I can forgive you for all that…but you ruined Sora's birthday." Tai flew at Lucemon. "And for that…_YOU'RE MINE!" _

Driving forward with all the strength in his body, Tai drove his fist forward and slammed into Lucemon's head.

There was a flash of white light and Tai was gone.

* * *

"I never said anything."

Sora gathered her arms around herself as she tried in vain to stave off the biting cold that the snow on the ground caused. For the past few hours she had to watch the scene over and over again. She knew all the words by heart, even Tai's heartbroken gaze had burned itself into her thoughts, haunting her every time she tried to close her eyes.

"I never thought you would look twice at me…" Sora whispered. "For the longest time…all those times in the digital world…I can't tell you how many nights I cried my eyes out, thinking about you and how you…" Sora bit her lip. "How we would only ever be friends…" she allowed herself a smile. "I was so…excited, when you sent me that e-mail but you just brushed it off like it was nothing…so I moved on. That's the thing about me, Tai. I need Love. Give it…feel it… without it, I just shrivel up and die like a flower without water." Sora heaved a sigh. "I didn't think you would ever feel the same…"

Sora looked up. Tai was pushing her inside, letting the door close after her. Sora stood up, walking over to where the boy stood. "Stupid Tai…you should have told me right there…you missed your chance. I _loved _you, you big idiot, and you couldn't see that." Sora sighed. "I should be over you…but _why is this scene still playing?" _Sora strode angrily around in the snow, angry tears welling up for the first time in hours. "Why is this what Lilithmon is using to get to me? I'm over Tai! I am!"

"Are you?"

Sora spun around. Standing in the snow, not twenty feet away was Biyomon. Sora looked back to see the girl's Biyomon commenting on how exciting it was that so many people were here to see Matt play. Sora turned back to Biyomon who stood there in the snow, head cocked to one side, staring back at her.

"Are…are you real?" Sora asked.

"You know what?" Biyomon tapped her beak thoughtfully. "I'm not sure any of this is real."

Sora sighed in relief. "At least you can hear me." she moved over to where her partner stood, kneeling down beside her. "Biyomon, what am I going to do? Am I just going to have to s-sit here while I have to watch…_that _over and over?" She swiped at her eyes. "I-I-I don't know if I c-c-can…"

"Sora! What's wrong with you?" Sora sat back at her partner's sudden outburst, falling on her butt as Biyomon glared at her. "I think I've put up with this wishy washy Sora for long enough!" Biyomon paused, taking deep, angry breaths. "What happened to you, Sora?" she asked, her voice softer. "What happened to that tough, independent girl I met all those years ago? What happened to the girl who carved her own path, regardless of what others said? Look at you now; crying in the snow and brooding over the ghost of Christmas past!" Biyomon's eyes began to tear up as well, but lost none of their intensity. "For the longest time…ever since you left the digital world, you've changed, Sora. I didn't want to say anything but you really have, and I HATE IT! Ever since MaloMyotismon's defeat you've really forgotten who you are! You're totally dependant on others' opinions, you're self sacrificing to the point of insanity, you hang on to things that you should have let go and you throw away the things you should keep!"

"B-Biyomon…what are you…"

"You aren't unloved, you're just feeling sorry for yourself. You upset that Matt broke up with you, and that's understandable. But Lilithmon is feeding off of that. She's getting stronger and pretty soon Gallantmon won't be able to stop her!"

"G-Gallantmon?"

Biyomon wiped a tear away from her eye. "Sora, it's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Takato and Guilmon are fighting as one to take out Lilithmon but they can't do it alone. They need our help. Tai needs our help."

"Tai?!" Sora felt her stomach twist in a way it hadn't twisted since she was fourteen. "He's here?"

"Yes, Sora. He came to get you out of here. He's here with Matt and Mimi and Izzy and, and…everyone! They're all here because they all love you, Sora." Biyomon paused, feeling braver. "Some…more than others…"

Sora shook her head. "You're just imagining things Biyomon. That ship sailed a long time ago." Sora looked down to see Biyomon touching her knee.

"Sora…you know that's not true…"

"Yes it is…he would have said something by now if he felt like I did…if he's so in love with me, why would he just sit by for four years while I dated Matt? He had so many opportunities to tell me, all those after fight talks, those long hours studying or all those tennis matches he…was…at…" Sora looked vacantly off as realization struck her like a bolt of Crimson Lightning.

"Because…maybe he didn't need to…" Biyomon said, gently.

"He didn't need to…" Sora echoed, looking back at the two teenagers, going through their dance again although this time was like looking at them through a fogged lens. As they faded from sight, something fluttered down, from the sky. A small, crisp, white envelope landed in Sora's lap. Curiously, she pried it open, nearly dropping it when she read the first words.

_Dear Sora, _

_I'm sorry I made fun of your hair. I know you haven't been this mad at me since I forgot to tell you I threw up in your hat. You say you love thunderstorms, so what's a few raindrops between friends? _

_Love, Tai_

Sora smiled, wiping a few tears away as she did. "Stupid Tai…" she said to herself, half laughing, half crying. "Stupid me, for that matter…but does this mean, what I think it means…" Sora glanced down at Biyomon who smiled, reassuringly at her. Sora took a deep breath, working the thought over in her mind.

The misconception that most people labor under is that realizing that you love someone is supposed to be a giddy, gleeful, hot pink fireworks feeling. What people don't understand is that feeling is the onset of infatuation, not love. Now, infatuation may one day lead to deep, everlasting love but it usually takes time to get there. But for Sora, and a handful of others in the history of the world, falling straight into love is a terrifying experience. It starts as fear, fear building in the pit of your stomach as you hope, pray you're wrong. That it's a crush, that you'll get over it. But when you realize that crushes don't typically get the kind of happiness and security that you feel when they're around you. Crushes fantasize about weddings; Sora actually thought about the marriage. With a crush comes teenage fantasy and desire, idolizing their object of affection as supernatural; Sora couldn't stop thinking about how plain goofy his hair was and how he never tanned evenly in the summer. A crush will fade and disappear with time but love…true love, as corny as it sounded, was everlasting. Sora closed her eyes, bit her lip and let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding.

_It can't be…he's my best friend! _

_But…maybe, he really meant, "Love, Tai." _

_Oh, God…what does this mean? _

Even as Sora deliberated, she began to feel slightly warmer. The snow had stopped falling and the ice cold wind had lost its bite. The words wouldn't make it to her lips; even if they could, it was the wrong time to say them. He wasn't here…and if Biyomon said was true, then he needed her help.

"Hang on, Tai." Sora whispered, drying the last of the tears she would cry that day. "We're coming."

She folded the letter up, gently placing it in her coat pocket, not once wondering how it got there or why it had come, only glad that it did. The boy and the girl had stopped their endless conversation, staring at her as if noticing her for the first time. Sora looked up, smiling as they turned back to their conversation, trying desperately to remain normal. She smiled, smugly to herself and strode over to the pair of them, suddenly knowing what she had to do to get out of the nightmare world. The visions shot a nervous glance at her as she approached, but pretended not to notice, continuing with their scripted dialogue. Shooting a patronizing glance at the girl with the cookie box, she grabbed the young man by the scruff of his jacket, and softly pecked him on the lips.

The effect was instantaneous. In a flash of light, Sora vanished.

Her Digivice was the only thing left, blinking three words, over and over: the same words that Tai saw before dissappating

BIOMERGE

DIGIVOLUTION

ACTIVATE

_AN: THAT"S RIGHT KIDS IT'S MORPHING TIME! That was my longest chapter even and I won't be able to update til Thursday so R&R and I'll be back with more!_

_Thanks _

_DOTMW_


	13. Bioshocked

_Chapter Twelve: Bioshock_

_AN: Sorry for the wait, folks. Apparently Santa Clara University thought it would be a gas to forget to add 5000 of my financial aid so I spent Thursday and Friday kicking some Bursar ass…sigh...but I gots mine! So here we go, Cue crazy dream sequence! _

…

…

_Is this a dream? _

…

…

_That's so weird…last thing I remember is going to punch Lucemon and now…_

…

…

_Am I…dead? _

_**No, not yet**_

_Who's that? Who's there? _

…

…

_You're that voice from before! That voice from the light! _

_**Sigh…Yes, Tai, we are the "voice from the light"**_

_Why did you tell me to attack him?! I could have been killed, that is if I'm not dead already! And why did you say, "We are the voice?!" Who are you? _

_**We are the one who will help you. We say that I am two because we are two spirits in one body…**_

_Wow…that was profound…PROFOUNDLY UNHELPFUL!! _

_**Sorry…I'm kinda new to this whole "Mysterious Talking Voice" thing. I thought I would just come off as wise but…well you know…**_

_Just answer me this, Socrates: Am I…dead? _

_**Not quite. Right now you're in a state between life and death, between real and digital…think of it as a kind of "Digi-Limbo" **_

_Okay...and how do I get out of this little "Digi-Limbo" I'm kinda in the middle of saving my friends, slaying demons…you know. _

_**Getting out is up to you. I can open the door but you have to step through.**_

_Yeah…wise really isn't you_

_**He he…yeah**_

…_Agumon…that's your voice but who's that with you? _

_**A friend. **_

_A friend, huh? _

_**Yes…**_

_Why would he help me? What's in it for him? _

_**He is in love with Sora, just the same as you. **_

_WHAT?! Tell him to get in line…er…not that we're going out or anything but…still! _

_**But he has been in love for Sora for quite a while now…**_

_Join the club; we got jackets _

_**Since you were five? **_

_Five and a half._

_**When she stepped out of her mother's car, soccer ball tucked under one arm**_

_Wait…I know that voice…but it can't be…_

_**In the moment that he was caught staring at her a soccer ball struck him in the side of the head**_

_No…that's impossible!_

_**And he was in love with her before he hit the ground**_

_WHO ARE YOU?! HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL OF THIS?! _

_**Tai…listen very closely…we can beat Lucemon but we can't do it alone…we need your help; your power.**_

_What can I do? I'm just human…I can't fight_

_**We can make your body as strong as your heart. We can give you strength of arms to match your strength of will. **_

_I can fight Lucemon?_

_**You can defeat Lucemon. **_

_And…I can save Sora?_

_**He he…I think she's doing alright for herself right now but if it makes you feel better…yes**_

_All right…all right…What…what do I have to do? _

_**Tai, are you ready to face a hoard of Demon Lords, risk death, torture and mutilation-**_

_Yes! Yes!_

_**For Sora, even if she doesn't return your feelings? Even if she and Matt leave you in the dust once Lucemon hits the road back to hell? **_

…_yes. It doesn't matter to me. Whether or not she loves me back…I'd do anything for her. _

_**Good answer. Now…one last thing. **_

_What's that?_

_**Open your Eyes.**_

* * *

_Uhhhh…where am I? _

…

…

_Talk about a lousy first kiss…_

…

…

_One minute I'm kissing a fourteen year old Tai in a warped memory and now I'm floating in a sphere of white light…boy, there's a sentence I'd never thought I'd say…_

…

…

_AHH!! Where are my clothes?! What happened to my clothes?!_

_**We really don't think you'll need them. It's not like anyone can see you. **_

_What?! Who's there?! Biyomon?! That sounds like you but-_

_**You've been asleep long enough…it's time to wake up. **_

_Who are you? WHERE are you?! Are you peeping on me?! _

_**Hehehe…Peeping on you, as if…it's not like we haven't seen it all already…**_

_Okay, Ms. Creepy Disembodied Voice, just who the hell are you? You sound so much like Biyomon…are you Biyomon? _

_**Yes…no…perhaps…**_

_Okay, you've just beat out Goggle Boy as the weirdest person I've met today_

_**He's doing rather well…**_

_What?_

_**Takato and Guilmon have unlocked the most sacred of Digital powers a Digimon and their Human Partner can posses **_

_What's that? Biyomon mentioned that they were fighting side by side but…what can Takato do?_

_**More than you would think. But first, let me ask you something, Sora: How do you feel about Tai? **_

_What?! _

_**Tai. Taichi Kamiya. You know; big hair, athletic, kinda thick. How. Do. You. Feel. About. Tai? **_

……………_.._

_**Well? **_

_I…I don't know, alright! This is just so confusing and I'm all shaken up and…I'm just really confused right now. I'm in the middle of Demon Lord HQ right now! What do my feelings for Tai have to do with anything? _

_**So you do have feelings for him!**_

_Well, yeah! He's my best friend! _

_**Sigh…Sora, Sora, Sora…you'll have to do better than that…**_

_You're not making any sense! _

_**Sora…**_

_What do you want me to say?! _

_**The truth…and don't tell me I can't handle the truth because that's just a lame cliché**_

_The truth is…I don't know_

_**Argh! Sora, you're killing us here! Tai and the others are out there fighting the armies of Digi Hell for you! This is ALL for you. We need you! We need the power you have inside you but to do that, we need you to activate it! I can help you! I can help you fight! We can help our friends but first we need your Crest!**_

_How do I-_

_**Your Crest is Love. Lilithmon's done all she could to beat it down inside but it's still there! You can't kill true love…So say it. Tell me what you love.**_

_I love…chocolate?_

_**Weak…what else you got?**_

_Cats…_

_**And…**_

…_Dogs? _

_**Sora! What's wrong with you? You never had a problem following your heart before, so what's the-**_

_Soccer! _

_**What? **_

_I…love soccer. I do. It's been almost seven years since I've played in a league but…I still love soccer. Truth is, I can't stand playing tennis…I miss being a part of a team_

_**Now we're cooking. More. **_

_I love my mom. I do. Even if she's controlling and fussy…I still care about her. She did the best she could with my dad away and although she may not have always done what she should have…she did the best she could. _

_**More. **_

_I love my friends! I love the way Mimi can always tell what's wrong with me before I even say anything! I love the way Kari can always provide the best advice! I…I love how Yolei is totally honest with me. _

_**You're on a roll! Give me more! **_

_I love how Joe is always there for us when we need him…I love how Izzy is always willing to answer anything you ask him…I love how TK always has a positive attitude about everything…I love how Davis can make everyone laugh, without even meaning to…I love how serious Cody gets when we need him to…I love how kind and gentle Ken is…I love Matt…because he's a great friend…we'll always be friends…and…and…_

_**Say it. **_

_I…I…why is this so hard? _

_**Because once you say it, you know there's no going back. Things between the two of you will never be the same. **_

_Yeah…but, I think I'm okay with that…I don't think I care…Tai…I love the way he's always there for me when I need it, or just want to hang out…I love how he can make me smile without even trying…I love how supportive he was when I was dating Matt…I didn't even know about how much it was eating him up until today…he kept his mouth shut because we were happy…I love the way…he…_

_**What? **_

_I could go on all day. He's so amazing…and wonderful and smart…sometimes. He can be boneheaded and naive and brash and cocky but he's so brave…we could be standing in the gates of Hell and Tai would just flash that stupid, cocky grin and lead us right back out again…I feel safe around him…like he's always got my back, and not in a controlling way; I know if I ever need him, he'll be there…He's my best friend…I…I…love…him. I guess I do…I Love Tai_

…

_Hello? _

_**Open your eyes, Sora. **_

* * *

Sparks flew as hot steel ground against Blutgang. Gallantmon tried to hold on but Lilithmon was stronger than he had anticipated. It seemed that the dark matter she had absorbed from Sora and Biyomon was giving her power beyond her already supernatural abilities.

Blutgang trembled in his hands as Lilithmon launched another blow against his blade. He shifted his grip, trying to get a better hold on it but Lilithmon was too quick. With a flurry of wing slashes, she knocked Blutgang away, spinning out of sight and skewering an Arkadimon.

Lilithmon raised her wing blade, aiming right at Gallantmon's chest. "Queen takes the Knight. Check and Mate"

Gallantmon snarled, lunging with Gungir only to have Lilithmon flick it lazily aside. "It's not over yet…not by a long shot…"

"Check your calculations, _Sir._" Lilithmon laughed. "As long as that poor, heartbroken little girl is wallowing in her own self pity, she will continue to feed my power. I will grow stronger, faster and smarter as long as she's at her little Pity Party. She's already mine and soon, you" _Thrust. _"Will." _Slash. _"Be." _Slash, Thrust, Claw. _"Too."

Lilithmon struck like a whirling dervish, lashing out with both her razor sharp wing and her strengthened Nazar Nail. Gallantmon blocked, ducked and parried her attacks and Takato found sweat running down his body inside Gallantmon. She was strong, but he could have dealt with that. The worst part was that she didn't tire: she was a sleepless, malicious entity, a force of nature more than a living thing. As soon as she tired, she would draw from Sora and then Takato would be back at square one again. Though he didn't want to admit it, he could no more win a fight with a hurricane than a fight with Lilithmon.

Gungir grew heavy in Gallantmon's hands. Takato's shoulders ached and strained with exertion. His chest and stomach were heaving in and out spastically, trying to steal breaths from the biting early morning air. His legs quaked, turning to quivering masses of gelatin beneath him. His heart could fight to the ends of time, but his body was solid, human and defeat able.

Lilithmon smiled, seeing her opening and taking it. With deftness that baffled Takato's weary mind, Lilithmon trapped Gungir in between her blades and tossed it into the night. Gallantmon fell to his knees, looking up at his killer.

"Finally…you admit defeat." Lilithmon said, satisfyingly. "I wonder if I can keep your helmet, to save it so it can be known to one and all that it was I, Lilithmon, Lady of Lust who triumphed over the Royal Knight Gallantmon." Lilithmon raised her blades. "You were a worthy foe. Unlike Lucemon I will admit that; you were a noble enemy. Undoubtedly the finest Digimon I have ever defeated. But now…you will die. There is no one to save you, no one is coming for you. Once I'm done with you, I'll move on to your friends. They'll scream…and they'll cry…and they'll bleed all over my nice, clean floor but I promise you; they will be alive long enough to know the taste of their measly…black…guts."

Gallantmon threw a punch at Lilithmon, swinging hard and bellowing with rage as she calmly pinned his armor to the wall. Swinging hard with his other one, Lilithmon drove a blade into his shoulder, causing him to scream in agony. Raising his head, he looked into Lilithmon's cold, red eyes.

"And now…the curtain comes down…"

Takato closed his eyes as she drew back. He was going to die. The only one who knew he was up here was Sora and she was in no shape to help.

They say when you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes. This simply isn't true. As Takato Matsuki watched the blade come down, he only saw the important things…His birthdays and Christmases with his family and friends…Guilmon…Biomerging for the first time…defeating the D-Reaper…Jeri…Henry…Kazu…Kenta…Rika…

In spite of himself, Takato couldn't help but smile. If someone were to tell his twelve year old self that his last thoughts would be of Rika Nonaka, he would have thought they were kidding. Now, as he faced the end, all he could see was her staring down on him as she flipped him on the ground, all he could hear was her whining about how he was the biggest fan boy in the world and all he could taste was her strawberry lip gloss mixed with her chocolate milkshake. In his final moments, something became painfully clear to him. In the enormity of his realization, he couldn't help but voice it aloud.

"I…I love you, Rika." Gallantmon whispered.

"UGH! Again with the Love!" Lilithmon put her hand on her hip and glared at him, exasperatedly. "Why?! Why even say that?! Do I look like Rika to you?! No! She's not going to hear you! It's totally pointless to even bother! So WHY?! WHY DO YOU PERSIST?! You humans put so much faith in Love and where does it get you?! NOWHERE! Love…is…useless. Tennis players got it right when they said LoveNothing. Love doesn't win wars! Love doesn't save lives! Love doesn't change anything!! Love turns the mightiest of warriors into sniveling little romantics! Love MAKES YOU WEAK! LOVE WON'T SAVE YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVE WILL NOT SAVE YOU!"

She drove her blade forward and a cry of anguished split the night sky…

Takato was surprised that the cry didn't come from his lips. He opened his eyes to see Lilithmon clutching her hand in agony, blade on the floor. Her hair was wild, and she was looking around, wildly.

"WHAT MISCHEIF IS THIS?!" She cried, glaring at him. "WHAT WITCHCRAFT DO YOU BRING AGAINST ME?!" Bellowing with rage, she picked up her blade and ran screaming at him…

Takato blinked and Lilithmon was on the ground again, howling in pain as a slash appeared in her arm from seemingly nowhere. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DIE LIKE A MAN, ALREADY!!"

"_Ha ha ha ha!" _

Gallantmon and Lilithmon looked up to see where the strange laughter had come from but there was no one there. Lilithmon stood up, shakily, looking around to find the source of the laughter.

"Who are you…" she asked, looking up. "One of his little friends, come to bail him out? Show yourself if you're Mon enough to face me."

"Lilithmon…Lilithmon…Lilithmon…" the voice echoed. Gallantmon looked up; it sounded familiar…almost like…

"Where are you…"

"Behind you!" Lilithmon turned around to see a gold blur and then nothing.

"Too slow…much too slow…"

"Who are you?!"

"I am a messenger, nothing more." The voice reverberated. "I'm here on behalf of Venus…and Aphrodite…"

"You're not making any sense! Talk straight!"

"I am a lingering kiss on a departing train…a rose petal in the spring rain…Cupid's Arrow, personified…An awkward Valentine on a school desk…a whisper to family with a dying breath…I sow joy and sorrow in equal amounts…although those who do not feel my touch aren't truly alive…like you."

"ME?!" Lilithmon screeched. "What nonsense do you speak?!"

"You are a wretched, lonely creature, Lilithmon…"

"Because…" Lilithmon raised an eyebrow

"Because you are the only creature in the entire world to have never felt love." the voice called out

Lilithmon laughed her cold, girlish laugh. "HAHAHAHAHA! Love…Hee hee…Love AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…_Love? _Why in the name of the Gods Below would put my trust in Love? Do you realize where the world would be without Love? A lot better off, that's where! This Love you so proudly champion has cause more pain and suffering than Greed, Envy, Pride, Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony and _Lust _combined! For every tale of lovestruck lovers, there are a hundred tales of unrequited, abused or doomed love that torture hearts worse than any pain I could ever cause!" Lilithmon spat on the ground. "That is what I think of your-"

"Starlight Burst!" A bolt of white hot flaming energy scorched through the air, striking Lilithmon in the chest and spinning her around. Lilithmon looked up again wildly, firing shots of dark energy into the night only to be met with the laughter of the voice.

"Naughty, naughty…" the voice called. "You'll have to be faster than that to defeat me!"

"You want faster…I'll give you faster!" Lilithmon leapt into the air, tearing like a bat out of hell for the room Sora was left in. If she could power up off of Sora's despair, she could become faster, stronger and more powerful than this new adversary. Flying faster than she had ever flown in her life, she reached for the hole in the wall…

"Uh, uh, uh…" The voice softly mocked. "Suzaku Sword!"

A flash of light blinded Lilithmon as her attacker flew by, striking with a weapon that glowed and burned brighter than the sun. She howled in pain and rage as the wings on her left side were singed to a crisp. Tumbling out of the sky, she slammed into the wall, sliding down until the walkway beneath her caught her fall.

Lilithmon stood, drawing the remaining wings on her right side. "Alright you little bitch, show yourself. You have such high and mighty morals and yet you're afraid to face the Demon Lady herself! You…are…a…coward! A miserable, stinking coward protecting a miserable stinking coward!"

"Do you ever say anything that isn't vindictive?!" the voice sighed. "Such bitterness…I wonder what happened to the Ophanimon who was once so close to the Sovereigns?"

"I grew up, that's what happened!" Lilithmon spat. "All our _love _all our devotion was cast aside when your precious humans first slithered out of their world and into ours! If Azulongmon had his way, we'd _all _be slaves to your stinking ape friends! I did what I had to do to protect the interests of Digimon everywhere!"

"Oh, don't play the whining martyr, you're bad at it." The voice echoed. "You've never cared about anyone but yourself. Your whole life has been a nonstop search for shallow pleasure, spurning that which makes life worth living. You sicken me, Lilithmon. You are nothing but a stain on the Digiworld and I'm putting an end to you, once and for all!" Before Lilithmon could come back with another snappy remark, a flaming blade pierced Lilithmon's chest, ripping her stomach open in a flaming burst of multicolored fire.

She fell to the ground, looking up as her conqueror dissipated her flaming blades. Her eyes traveled up from the Digimon's golden, winged boots, up her legs that were clothed in red linens, her gilded greaves to her red and gold skirt, to her armored chest, adorned in red, gold and orange. Her humanoid face was covered in a golden helm in the shape of a bird's head, a long plume of multicolored feathers trailed from the back. Her assailant rolled her muscular shoulders and flared wings that beamed their own light in deep reds, yellows, pinks and oranges as she crossed her bare arms.

"Just…who…are…you?" Lilithmon croaked.

The Digimon looked at her with contempt. "If you plan on drawing from the girl, you might try to do so now…"

Lilithmon extended her reach, feeling around for Sora's energy signal. Suddenly her constant smirk faded and a look of unadulterated horror crossed her gaze. She looked back up at the room, and then back at the Digimon and then back at the room again and then back at the Digimon.

"No…" Lilithmon whimpered. "No, that's not fair…How did you…that's impossible…that's…not fair…"

The Digimon grinned, clapping her hands together and producing a large, flaming sword. Twirling it between her hands, she advanced on Lilithmon.

"Since you asked, my name is Phoenixmon Warbird Mode." Phoenixmon said, softly. "I am the Mega Biomerged form of Biyomon and Sora."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Lilithmon cried. "How did you manage to do that?! You don't have a D-Arc!"

"No." Phoenixmon conceded. "I had Love. You tried to suppress my crest but you really never stood a chance. Not against love. The love I have for my family, for my friends …for Tai…did the impossible and joined me with Biyomon." Phoenixmon laughed. "I guess John, Paul, Ringo and George were right; all you really need is love. Too bad you don't know the meaning of the word. You could really use the help of someone who loved you. But…no one is coming for you, my dear."

In Phoenixmon's radiant presence, Lilithmon was diminished and suddenly seemed insignificant. The light showed her for what she really was. Deep lines ran through her face, making her seem older than she really was. Her hair stuck up at odd angles and her make up ran on her face as the fire that swirled around her made her sweat.

"Shut up!" Lilithmon screeched like a wounded banshee

"Not a soul in the world would save you now because not a soul in the world cares about you."

"I told you to shut up!"

"No friends…no family…Your life can be summed up as cold, empty passion and a string of one night stands…"

"GO TO HELL!" Lilithmon cried. "JUST GO TO HELL!!"

Phoenixmon plunged the blade into Lilithmon's chest. "You first."

In a flash of flame, the sword burst, consuming the Demon Lady in a rainbow of fire. When the flames died down, all that remained was a blackened, charred Crest.

Gallantmon stared, unblinkingly at the Digimon before him, not even bothering to get off his knees as she walked towards him, Gungir and Blutgang in each hand.

"You dropped these." She said, handing them to Gallantmon, smiling at the dumbstruck glint in his eyes.

"Uhh…thanks…" Gallantmon said, taking them from her, sheathing Blutgang and stashing Gungir between his wings. "Ummm…thanks for that but…who are you exactly?"

Phoenixmon laughed, placing her hand on her hip. "Well, you never struck me as bright, Takato but _come on!" _

Gallantmon took a step back, cocking his helmeted head and staring at Phoenixmon for the longest time. Then his eyes grew wide. "Sora?! Biyomon?!"

Phoenixmon laughed. "Yes and no."

"But how is that possible? I thought you needed a D-Arc to Biomerge and last I checked, your digivice wasn't working."

Phoenixmon played with one of her wings thoughtfully, plucking a multicolored feather and twirling it back and forth. "I'm not sure…one minute, I was trapped in my nightmare world and then next, I woke up feeling stronger and faster than I've ever felt in my life."

"Yeah, Biomerging does that to you." Takato said. "It's an incredible feeling and OH MY GOD!" Phoenixmon flinched as Gallantmon suddenly tensed up, looking up. "Tai and Rika! Oh, shoot, I can't believe I forgot about them! We have to hurry before-"

Gallantmon was cut off as something purple and gold came screeching from the sky. Phoenixmon jumped back, flaming sword drawn and ready to attack but Gallantmon (to Sora's surprise) stepped forward and caught the flailing Digimon in his arms.

"Let go of me!" the strange Digimon screeched, kicking and punching at Gallantmon's armor. "Let me at him! Let me at him! Let me go you evil son of a-" the Digimon stopped as she looked up at Gallantmon. "G-Gallantmon!"

"Hey, Sakuyamon." Takato said, lamely setting Sakuyamon on the ground. She stepped back, taking a long hard look at him before hesitantly stepping forward and running a hand over his helmet.

"Are you alright?" she asked. When he nodded, Sakuyamon lunged at him, tackling him to the ground. Phoenixmon balked as Sakuyamon began pummeling Gallantmon, berating him in angry tones.

"You! Stupid! Gogglehead!" she yelled at him, punctuating each word with a blow to either his face or his helmet. "What! In! The! World! Made! You! Jump! After! Lilithmon! Like! That?!"

"Sakuyamon…" Gallantmon pleaded. "Wait…"

"DO YOU EVEN HAVE A BRAIN IN THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS OR ARE YOU JUST THAT-" Sakuyamon was cut off as Gallantmon threw his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Skauyamon struggled for a moment, trying to push him away before reluctantly leaning against him.

"You're alright…" Gallantmon said, gently disengaging her.

"Yeah, well…" Sakuyamon said, lamely looking at Phoenixmon who was staring at them from behind her helmet's eyes. "Who's the bird?"

"Oh, um, Phoenixmon, this is Sakuyamon. Sakuyamon is Rika Biomerged with Renamon, her partner." Gallantmon said, making the awkward introductions.

"Hey." Sakuyamon nodded

"Ahhh…so this is Rika…" Phoenixmon said, slyly. "I've heard a lot about you, Rika…although," she looked the fiery shaman Digimon up and down. "Looking at you, you don't really strike me as Takato's type…"

"Takato's WHAT?!" Sakuyamon glared at Phoenixmon as Gallantmon shook his head, fervently motioning for Sora to back off, lest she incur the wrath of an angry Rika. "Listen, Birdy, I don't know who you are or where the hell you get off telling Takato what his type is but-"

Phoenixmon held her hands up in defense "Sorry…I'm Sora. Well, kinda. Biyomon's in here too."

Sakuyamon stopped her tirade and stared, head cocked to one side. "Sora? Tai's Sora?" Phoenixmon blushed and said nothing. "Wow, you must really be something if you can Biomerge without a D-Arc…Tai's going to be happy about…" Sakuyamon gasped, looking back up at the rooftop. "Oh, no! Come on, we need to get back up there!"

"Why?! What's going on? And where're Tai and WarGreymon?!" Phoenixmon asked taking flight alongside Sakuyamon and Gallantmon.

"Last I saw, before Lucemon threw me like a rag doll off the roof, WarGreymon was getting decimated by Lucemon and Tai was going in to punch Lucemon himself!"

"What?! Arrrgh! Stupid Tai!" Phoenixmon growled.

The three Megas soared high above the building, blanching in shock as they saw the entire roof was engulfed in a maelstrom of flames. The fire rose high into the night, burning endlessly and singing the morning air with smoke. Two dark shadows circled each other and other than a blast of flame or a stray energy blast, Phoenixmon couldn't tell who was who.

"What's going on?" she asked, flitting back and forth nervously. "What's happening down there?"

"I don't know…" Sakuyamon whispered. "It's hard to say…no human could have survived that blast."

"I'm going down there!" Phoenixmon said, moving to fly only to have her arm caught by Gallantmon.

"Stop! That fire's burning hotter than anything I've ever seen! You'll burn!"

"But…" Phoenixmon looked helplessly into the fire. Suddenly there was a huge explosion and a human sized figure flew out of the flames, spinning in the air and slamming into a neighboring building.

"TAI!!" Sora called through Phoenixmon, jumping after the body and ignoring the others' cries. She crashed through the falling rubble, reaching out to touch the young man's body…

_SLAP!_

Sora gasped in shock as a dark young man with long blonde hair and angel's wings slapped her hand away. His hair was singed and his exquisitely tailored suit was burned half off his body. Two of his wings were blackened and twitched spastically. Lucemon stared back at Phoenixmon with a look of disgust, brushing her aside and leaping out of the building.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" he called, manically looking into the fire. "FACE ME, YOU COWARD?!" Phoenixmon followed Lucemon's gaze into the fire. Was it possible? Could Tai have survived the-

"GeoGrey Sword!" Two voices roared from within the inferno and Sora's heart leapt into her throat. She knew that voice. The fire drew in, forming a ring of flames on the ground, at the center of which knelt a large, powerful shadow. The flames parted, and Sora forgot to breathe as Lucemon's adversary leapt through the inferno.

It was one of those moments Sora would remember for the rest of her life, a story she would tell her children and grandchildren as they begged over and over again to hear about the Demon Lord and the Dragon. Time seemed to slow down as the fires divided like the Red Sea before Moses. At the same moment the flames parted, the sun peaked over the horizon and caught the Digimon's red, gold and white armor in full light. A mighty dragon kicked off from the roof with his thick, powerful legs and lunged from the mist and into the light. A colossal blade appeared in his claws and caught fire as he thrust it forward, pointing the infinitely sharp tip at Lucemon. Two wings beat powerfully behind him as a thick, deadly looking tail cut through the air and guided his charge through the Tokyo skies. Lucemon hurled energy ball after energy ball at the dragon but they shattered over his armor like waves breaking over the rock. A living symbol of courage, not even the full wrath of a Demon Lord stood a chance of bringing him down.

"Who is that?" Sakuyamon asked in awe.

"I think…it's Tai." Phoenixmon sighed, breathlessly.

"No…" Gallantmon said, smile plastered all over his human face. "It's ShineGreymon."

* * *

_AN: Cue "Simple and Clean: Rising Sun Rock Remix" I kinda went OC with Phoenixmon WB mode but I wanted to illustrate that different Digivolution methods unlock different tracks of Digivolution. Plus, ShineGreymon kicks WarGreymon's ass. _

_NEXT TIME, ON DIGIMON UNLIMITED! (Set to Requiem for a Dream) _

_Beelzemon wheeled around and shot another round of ammo into the writhing Perfect's chest. "Do you, Takeru Takaishi take Kari DIE YOU DEMON SCUM…Kamiya to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health…sickness being the more likely of the two as long as you both shall live…which shouldn't be that much longer but…you know." _

_Lucemon smiled through his mangled face. "You…haven't…won…yet…" he laughed darkly as he vanished into the morning air. _

"_Why isn't the gate vanishing?!" Gallantmon cried. "All the Demon Lords are dead how could they…"_

_ShineGreymon soared as fast as he could towards the emerging figure. He had to stop him before he crossed over. He was almost there; the data hadn't fully converged yet. With one almighty swing of his fist, he drove the GeoGrey Sword forward…_

"_Tai…" The evil Digimon looked into ShineGreymon's horrified eyes with a smile. "How nice to see you." _

_Da da DUNH! _


	14. The End pt 1: Daylight Dies

_Chapter Thirteen_

_The End pt 1: Daylight Dies_

_AN: I know I said I was going to write Thirteen chapters and an epilogue but I just have too much to write still so it's going to go on a little longer. I promise we'll get back to the spine crushing action sequences but first… a bit of fluff _

_The Rise and Fall of All We Are_

_Stands Before Us_

_Killswitch Engage-Daylight Dies_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!  
_

Kari flinched again as another dull thud rocked the flimsy barricade that separated them from the Arkadimon. MegaGargomon shifted his weight to better block the door but it became clear that he couldn't hold them forever. Already, cracks were appearing in the walls around them as the Arkadimon struggled to break through. The steel wouldn't stop them for long and soon they would come, crawling, scraping, and swiping at them with their claws…

To put it bluntly, they lost. No matter what they did, the Arkadimon kept coming and coming, replacing their comrades quicker than they could slay them. Ryo and Henry ordered a full retreat back into the TV station where they hoped they could wait them out. Her friends had resigned themselves to sitting in small groups on the floor, eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, faces pale and dirty from the battle outside and silently staring into space.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist as someone pulled her into a shaky hug. Kari gently squeezed T.K's hands around her waist as he softly laid a head on her shoulder.

"That wall can't hold forever…" Kari said.

"It'll hold as long as it's meant to." T.K. said, softly.

"And then what?" Kari asked, turning her head slightly to glance at his ashen face out of the corner of her eye. "What happens then?"

"We fight." He said, simply. Kari squeezed his hands tighter as she leaned back against his chest. "Hey, it's going to be alright, Kari."

"I wish I could believe you…I really do." Kari sighed, "But not all of us can be as optimistic as you TK; how do you know everything's going to be alright?"

She felt TK shoulders roll in a halfhearted shrug. "Truth be told…I don't. All we can do is…hope that everything will work out. We have to have faith in Tai and Rika."

"But we haven't heard from them in almost two hours…what if they didn't make it?" Kari asked, shaking at the thought. "Wh-What if Lucemon and Lilithmon got to them and…" Kari shuddered in horror at the ghastly images that crept into her imagination. TK sighed, squeezing her tighter against him and gently kissing her tearstained cheek.

"Come on, Kari. Lucemon is standing between _Tai_ and _Sora_." Kari laughed, in spite of herself. "He couldn't be more screwed if he was covered in steak sauce and thrown into a lion's den."

Kari chuckled at her boyfriend's statement, looking into his clear blue eyes. He looked back and, for one shadow of a moment, the dull thudding and howling Arkadimon faded and there was only him and there was only her. TK hesitated for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something but then looked away. Kari sighed, tilting his chin until the boy's troubled gaze. They just stared into each other's eyes for a moment before TK plucked up the courage to say what he needed to say.

"Hikari Kamiya," TK began, taking a deep breath and biting his lip nervously before pressing on. "I'm going to say this quickly because if I stop I'm going to lose my nerve and-"

"TK?" Kari asked, brows furrowing. "What-"

"Please, Kari, wait until I'm done." TK took another deep shuddering breath, looking back into Kari's confused, amber eyes. "Ever since I met you, almost ten years ago I knew we'd always have a special connection. That belief only strengthened as I spent more and more time with you. Kari…you're my best friend and I know I've said it more times than I could count but…I love you." Kari smiled tearfully as TK blathered on. "And…I know we've only been dating for two years but…I…I…I couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else…ever." Kari's eyes widened as she began to catch on. "And…it may be a moot point if we end up dying today but," TK reached a shaking hand under his shirt and gave a sharp tug on a chain that lay beneath his shirt. When his hand resurfaced his fingers were clenched around a small, gold ring with three diamonds set in the band.

"TK…" Kari gasped, but TK was pressing on, eyes shining.

"I was going to do this properly, once we graduated high school. I was going to take you to our secret spot behind Primary Village and tell you that you…are…the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't know if it was fate or God or maybe I just have a guardian angel looking out for me," he glanced up at MagnaAngemon who smiled at his partner before turning back to Kari's awestruck face. "But I met you just when I needed you the most. You were a friend to me when I didn't have many. You really helped me get over my crybaby shy phase and really shaped me into the person that I am today. I can't remember a time when I didn't have you in my life and I don't want to think of a time when you won't be. I…wouldn't be half as strong as I am if it weren't for you. You are my angel, my light. And if we survive this…I'm going to ask you to marry me, someday. I promise you that."

"Now."

"What?" TK looked back at Kari who was smiling at him through teary eyes.

Kari wiped her eyes before speaking again. "TK…we may not make it out of here. There is a swarming hoard of demonic Digimon lurking outside, ready to swallow us whole once they break through. We could die right now and never have that little night you described…as cute as that sounded, I think our friends at the door have other plans." She took a deep breath and looked back with fierce, determined eyes. "Ask me now."

TK felt his stomach knot as he lowered himself to one knee, taking Kari's hand between his. "Kari Kamiya, you have made me happier than I ever thought anyone could be. And, if you'll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life trying to return the favor. Kari…will you marry me…someday?"

Kari squeezed his hand tightly, looking into his questioning blue eyes with more affection than she had ever shown anyone. "TK…" She knelt down on the ground beside him, grasping his hands in hers. "I would marry you right now, if I could." With that, she swiftly pressed her trembling lips against his. Instantly, the whole room filled with applause as their friends (who they didn't know were watching until just then) cheered, clapped and (in Matt's case) wolf whistled. TK looked back at Kari who was wiggling her ring finger, expectantly. TK slipped the ring on her finger before joining her for another kiss.

It was some time before they broke away, looking back at each other before noticing Justimon standing beside them with a head cocked to one side. He regarded them for a moment, looking over his shoulder before looking back at TK and Kari.

"Did you mean that?" he asked. "Would you marry him right now if you could?"

"Well…" Kari looked back at TK. "Yes. If I could, I would do it right here, right now." She laughed. "Of course we wouldn't be able to but-"

Justimon interrupted. "Well, in the Digital World when two Digimon want to get married they either have to get a blessing by a Sovereign _or _a sanctified servant of a Sovereign. That would include anyone in the clergy, ship captains, doctors, caretakers, army generals or someone charged with a sacred task like, say…imprisoning the Demon Lords in a pit of fire. Technically…a Holy Warrior could perform the ceremony and you'd be legally married in the Digital World."

TK and Kari looked up at Justimon. "So you could do it?" TK asked hopefully

"Nope!" Justimon said as their faces fell. "I wasn't charged by the Sovereigns, I'm just a nice guy. But I know someone who was…question is, are you serious? You really want to get married when you're sixteen? Cause…a little fact that Cyberdramon clued me in on just now, Digimon don't know the meaning of the word "Divorce." You can always get legally separated in the human world or not bother get married but as long as you set foot in the Digital World, you two will be considered married…for life. Now a swarm of Arkadimon has the effect of rushing a decision like this but on the off chance we survive…you're stuck with each other."

Kari bit her lip, looking at TK. "We should wait, you know until we're ready…" he said, blushing and looking away. "I mean…Tai and Rika are going to pull us through-"

"Yes." Kari looked back at TK who looked back, struck. "I'm in; are you?"

TK flashed a toothy grin. "I asked you, didn't I?" he looked back at Justimon. "So, you sure Henry will do it?"

Justimon scratched the back of his head. "Umm…he technically can't…"

"So we'll have to wait til Rika gets back?" Kari asked.

"Ummm…no."

"Well, Justimon you just ran out of Digimon there." Matt said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah…unless you count…" TK and Kari both gasped, coming to the same realization at the same time. "Noooooo…"

"Yep." Justimon said.

"You're not serious." TK said, eyes glazing over.

"Yes, I am."

"You want, _him _to marry us?" Kari squeaked. "No way…nooooooo way."

"Okay then, fine…" Justimon said, walking away.

TK and Kari shared a pained look before shrugging. "Justimon, WAIT!"

* * *

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!  
_

_BOOM!_

"Dearly Beloved…" Beelzemon squeezed through clenched teeth as Justimon continued to glare at him threateningly. In less than five minutes, they had constructed a mini alter out of broken masonry and filing cabinets and TK and Kari now stood, hands clasped with Matt and Yolei on either side of them, friends watching. "We are gathered her today to witness the…aww do I have to say it?"

Justimon cocked his Blitz Arm and Beelzemon rolled his eyes and turned back to the happy couple who were grimacing at their reluctant pastor.

"TK and Kari have gathered before you, their friends and family…and a hoard of angry, violent, killer demons to…um…get married and stuff." Beelzemon added. "I've known TK and Kari for about…three and a half hours now and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that they will spend the remainder of their lives together…considering the remainder of their lives is only going to be like twenty min-"

"BEELZEMON!!" Justimon warned but before he could finish his thought, the doors broke. MegaGargomon fell back as the solid metal door they fashioned out of old filing cabinets. The rising sun and dozens of demons immediately flooded the room, crashing the incredibly awkward ceremony.

"Sorry folks," Justimon said, leaping over the happy couple and drawing his Blitz Arm and immediately emptying it into the gathering crowd. "PRIVATE PARTY!!" The Digimon immediately leapt into battle as Father Beelzemon drew his shotguns. "BEELZEMON! DO THE READER'S DIGEST VERSION!!"

"Since they seem so determined to interrupt, I'll make this short." He emptied a shotgun into a wailing Champion's head. "Do you, Hikari Kamiya take OH NO YOU DON'T YOU SON OF A-!!" Beelzemon blasted a Rookie poised to jump on Kari's head, causing the blushing bride to flinch. "Like I was saying, do you take…um…" he tapped his chin with his shotgun, trying to remember TK's name

"Takeru Takaishi." Matt called as MetalGarurumon bit off another demon's arm.

"Thank you…what he said…do you take him to be your husband for…richer or…poorer in good times and…well, right now?"

Kari ducked flying brick dislodged from the wall before looking back at TK. "I do."

Beelzemon wheeled around and shot another round of ammo into the writhing Perfect's chest. "Do you, Takeru Takaishi take Kari DIE YOU DEMON SCUM…Kamiya to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health…sickness being the more likely of the two as long as you both shall live…which shouldn't be that much longer but…you know."

TK beamed at Kari. "I do."

"Then," Beelzemon said, while strangling a rouge Arkadimon. "By the powers vested in me, by the great and Glorious Sovereigns of the Digital World, I now pronounce you hitched for life. You may now GO TO HELL AND DIE!!" Beelzemon bashed a Rookie's head in with the butt of his shotgun before turning back to TK and Kari. "_You _may now SHOOT HIM IN THE HEAD!! SHOOT HIM IN THE HEAD!!" Beelzemon called to Justimon who was grappling with a Mega, dodging his attacks. "You may now-" Beelzemon was cut off at a Perfect tried to swallow him whole. TK and Kari stared dumbstruck as the Perfect glared back at them. Suddenly, Beelzemon pried his mouth open, straining with the force of keeping his jaws open.

"KISS HER ALREADY!!" He bellowed, emptying his shotguns down the unfortunate Arkadimon's throat.

With tears in their eyes, hands clasped and a battle raging around them, TK and Kari Takaishi shared their first kiss. Even though they were sweaty and dirty, even though Arkadimon were trying to kill them, even though there was no dress, no flowers, no cake, no reception, no church, the witnesses consisted of their friends and a pack of killer demons and their pastor was a Demon Lord, Kari didn't care. She couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding

(_AN: Kay, Takari moment over, back to the killing) _

* * *

"SHINE HAMMER." Lucemon raised his arms in a feeble attempt to block the massive fist that drove downwards on top of his head. He and ShineGreymon had taken their fight high above the swarming Arkadimon below, flying at each other like two birds in battle.

"PARADISE LOST!" Lucemon sailed in with a vicious right cross, connecting with ShineGreymon's chin and sending him flying back a few feet. ShineGreymon flared his wings, blasting burst after burst of white hot light from the tips and straight at Lucemon. The fallen angel ground his teeth, dismayed at how little his attacks affected the awesome Digimon before him. It seemed no matter what he did, he couldn't make a dent in the shining armor. All his power was reduced to nothing in his foe's presence.

"Give it up, Lucemon and you may survive long enough to be sent back to Hell!" ShineGreymon taunted.

Lucemon cracked his neck. "My dear boy, have you ever been to Hell? You ever rotted in a pit of eternal flames? I think not. I would rather not exist than return!" Lucemon launched a ball of dark matter at ShineGreymon who divided the blast with a flourish of his blade. ShineGreymon leapt forward, driving the blade down only for Lucemon to duck sideways. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gallantmon, Sakuyamon and a Digimon he couldn't recognize nervously circling him and Lucemon. Before Tai could mouth his question, Lucemon was at him again, driving punches and kicks into his armor, accomplishing nothing except for filling the air with hollow ringing sounds and making Tai's head hurt. ShineGreymon grabbed his foot, slammed his head against the lip of a building and tossed the angel into the sky.

Lucemon righted himself, glaring at ShineGreymon. "All this over a ruined birthday party? That seems a little extreme, don't you think?"

"You…hurt…Sora." ShineGreymon snarled, his twin voices echoing with Tai's anger. "I've devoted entire portions of my life to making sure that doesn't happen…and then you and your little pals waltz in like a bunch of tourists at a tea ceremony…kidnap the birthday girl…send demons after my friends and _erect… a… freaking… DEMON GATE IN THE MIDDLE OF MY CITY!! _You put us all through hell tonight, Lucemon." ShineGreymon raised his blade at the battered Demon Lord. "I'm just returning the favor." He spun in with his blade, driving it down, as Lucemon lunged to the side. The pocket of air that divided in the blade's wake slammed into Lucemon, sending him tumbling through the skies, slamming into a neighboring building.

ShineGreymon twirled his sword, staring intently at the hole he had just created and waiting for Lucemon to reappear. Suddenly, the top of the building exploded and Lucemon burst forth with a huge chunk of roof in hand. Drawing his arms back, the dislodged piece of masonry came spinning towards him at breakneck speed. Tai raised the dragon's arms, slicing the building piece in half only to see Lucemon come flying straight through the two pieces. Tai felt a jerk on his neck as Lucemon grabbed ShineGreymon's armor with his left hand and landed a solid blow with his right, sending him spinning through the air. Lucemon caught the dragon's talon and flung him down to the ground, smashing into a hoard of Arkadimon as he did. Lucemon watched in triumph as the demons swarmed over his enemy, covering his red and white armor in a pulsing, multicolored mass.

Lucemon sighed in satisfaction. "Bold…" he admitted. "Too bold. It looks like I won after-"

"AMETHYST WIND!"

Lucemon's head snapped up in time to see a maelstrom of crystal shards hurling towards him. He threw his arms up to defend himself but was thrown back by the force of Sakuyamon's attack, rolling over and over in mid air as he hurtled towards Gallantmon.

"FINAL JUSTICE!" Gallantmon twirled his staff like a baton, blasting a white hot beam of energy out of the spinning spear. Lucemon spun around, right into a very angry Phoenixmon.

"SUZAKU SWORD!" The flaming blade that had destroyed Lilithmon broke over his back and sent him high into the sky where a heavy, armored hand caught him.

"No…" Lucemon breathed as ShineGreymon glared down on him through his helmet. "How did you…"

"Please…you call that a power slam?" Tai and Agumon sighed in unison. "Let me show you how it's done." ShineGreymon rocketed towards a skyscraper, slamming Lucemon into the top floor window. Igniting his wings, he raced down the side of the building, slamming Lucemon's head through floor after floor after floor until he hit the bottom with a sickening crash of glass and concrete. ShineGreymon slammed him into the ground, flying back up into the sky. The tips of his wings glowed with energy as the skyscraper began to collapse around Lucemon's unmoving body.

"SHINING BLAST!!" He cried as the power charged in his wings burst forth, flying out at all angles before condensing and driving down through the top of the building, causing the whole thing to come crashing down around Lucemon. The dust settled and all that remained was a broken, beaten Lucemon crawling out of the wreckage. With GeoGrey Sword in hand, ShineGreymon floated down to Lucemon.

"No…no! No no no no no no no no no NO!" Lucemon wailed, beating the ground with his fists as he started to break up. "This can't be happening…I can't lose! I can't be defeated! I'm…Lucemon. I'm the most powerful Digimon in the Digital World!! I unlocked the secrets of Digivolution and taught them to the entire Digital World!! I chained the Sovereigns for almost ten years!! I CAN'T LOSE!! Not me!! Not again! NOT AGAIN!!"

"Haven't you ever heard, Lucemon, that pride go'eth before the fall?" ShineGreymon twirled his sword, driving it into the ground beside Lucemon. "You were so upset when the Sovereigns spurned your ideas that you sought to destroy them. Rika was right; you are a toddler. A toddler who hasn't learned how to lose yet. Well, hate to break it to ya, buddy but you lost. We won."

To Tai's surprise, Lucemon started chuckling as he dissolved into data. He was beaten and battered beyond recognition and yet he still managed to pull a gruesome, twisted smile. _"_You…haven't…won…yet…" he laughed darkly as he vanished into the morning air. "Not…yet…" his Crest dropped to the ground with an ugly thud and lay, blackened in the dirt.

A strong gust of wind signaled the arrival of Gallantmon and Sakuyamon and another Digimon that ShineGreymon couldn't recognize. He hadn't mentioned it earlier, but now that the fight was over he couldn't remember who that Digimon was. She (this much was certain) was staring at him from beneath a golden, bird shaped helmet, eyes wide. ShineGreymon pushed his way past a jubilating Gallantmon and Sakuyamon to stand face to face with the Digimon (_AN: FYI, Biomerged ShineGreymon is smaller than Marcus' ShineGreymon. He's the same size as Gallantmon.) _

The Digimon smiled from beneath her visor and said one word that made his heart do a backflip and land somewhere between his kidneys. "Tai…"

The mighty Dragon of Light, who had just slain a Demon Lord without fear now regarded the small, bird warrior Digimon with a look of wonder. 'S-Sora?" the titan breathed softly.

Phoenixmon shook her head. "Phoenixmon. But yeah…it's me."

ShineGreymon tentatively reached out a hand, lightly stroking an iridescent wing with the back of his mailed gauntlet. As he did so, Phoenixmon ran her hand over the dragon's breastplate, afraid to trust her own eyes in case this was another illusion. The touch seemed to register inside as Tai felt long, slender fingers run themselves over his chest and Sora shivered as his strong hands gently caressed her shoulders.

"You're…beautiful." ShineGreymon managed to say after a long while of looking at the radiant force before him.

"So are you." She replied softly, lightly grazing her fingers over the blue jewel set in his stomach. They found themselves staring at each other for the longest time, until Gallantmon broke their silence by clearing his throat, stretching his angel wings as he regarded ShineGreymon.

"Umm…thanks for taking out Lucemon and saving the city but…do you two know each other?"

"Oh, right." Phoenixmon said, blushing. "Takato, this is my friend Tai. Tai Kamiya."

"Hey." ShineGreymon said, raising a claw in salute

"Hi…" Gallantmon managed to squeak out before Sakuyamon interrupted them.

"You guys!" Sakuyamon called over to them. "Look." She was pointing across the water where the lingering obelisk still jutted out of the earth. "The Hell Gate."

"What about it?" Phoenixmon asked, ruffling her wings.

"Well…when Daemon attacked Odaiba in our world, he brought the Hell Gate with him, but when he left it vanished." Sakuyamon picked up the Crest of Pride, twirling it back and forth, thoughtfully before handing it to Tai. "So why is this gate still here?"

"Maybe Lucemon didn't summon it…" ShineGreymon suggested. "Maybe a high level Arkadimon did."

"No…they came through and you need to be in this world to summon a Hell Gate." Gallantmon stared at the gate with a look of loathing. "Why isn't the gate vanishing? We beat all the Demon Lords! We have their crests! So where are the Arkadimon getting their power from? Who brought them here?"

"Guys…" Phoenixmon said, softly. "When Lilithmon was torturing me…she kinda let slip about the Demon Lords' "Little Friend" she gazed thoughtfully at the burning dome of the sphere. "I wonder who they meant."

They were silent for a moment as they contemplated the implications of Sora's statement.

"Maybe Beelzemon conjured it." ShineGreymon growled. "He used to be a Demon Lord, right? What if he's been with them all along?"

"No…Beelzemon's downstairs fighting with the others." Sakuyamon looked down. "It isn't him; he wouldn't put his life on the line just to turn around and betray us. Besides, the Sovereigns would have sensed his intentions before they sent him with us. Believe it or not, he's the last person it could be."

"Who could be powerful enough to maintain a Hell Gate and inconspicuous enough to slip our notice?" Gallantmon said, thoughtfully. "That would take a Demon of incredible power and the only one who could do that is another…" He trailed off and then his eyes grew wide behind his visor. "No…"

Sakuyamon looked at him for a moment before echoing, "No…."

"What? What is it?" Phoeniixmon asked.

"He didn't…" Gallantmon gasped

"He _did…"_Sakuyamon moaned

"Did what?" Phoenixmon asked.

"It's the only explanation…" Gallantmon said, staring blankly at the gate

"That son of a bitch, he did it…" Sakuyamon snarled

"Did _what?!" _ShineGreymon demanded.

"He raised a Demon Lord to fill Beelzemon's chair." Gallantmon growled.

"What? What do you mean?" Tai felt an unfamiliar pit of fear creep into his stomach.

"He elevated a lesser Digimon to Demon Lord Status!" Gallantmon frantically looked around as if the answer to his problems would suddenly appear if he did. "There's still a Demon Lord on the loose and until we stop them, that Hell Gate isn't going anywhere! We need to split up; Phoenixmon, scan downtown, ShineGreymon, take uptown, Sakuyamon and I will scan the waterfronts around the-"

"Can't we do anything down there first?" Phoenixmon interrupted, looking down at the Arkadimon below. The fight had taken a dramatic turn for the worst; their friends were surrounded, Digimon on the outside, protecting their human partners. Justimon, Beelzemon, MagnaAngemon, Angewomon and Beelzemon were all lashing out into the demon hoard while the others formed a shield around the humans behind them. "We have to help them!"

"How?!" ShineGreymon asked, looking for a good target to send an attack at. "There must be thousands of them down there! Where do we even begin?"

Sakuyamon turned to Gallantmon. "What do yout think?"

Gallantmon cocked his head in thought. "I was thinking a Cable Reaper special with a hint of Indramon for flavor..."

Sakuaymon snorted. "You think that will work?"

"Why not?"

"Too many Digimon, Too little time."

"Well what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking you had a better idea!"

Phoenixmon looked uncertainly at ShineGreymon who just shrugged. "I don't know, either..." Before turning back to the bickering Megas

"How about a Zhuqiaomon Run?"

"A what?"

"You know..."

"You lost me, Goggles."

"Knock out the big guys and hope the others scatter!"

"Anyone feel like explaining this to us?" Tai asked, hopefully. Gallantmon and Sakuyamon looked back for brief second before continuing with their discussion.

"What about...a Runaway Locomon?"

Gallantmon started to protest but then cocked his head in thought. "Yeah...that will work..."

"You know what to do, Gogglemon." Gallantmon nodded knowingly, drawing Gungir, flying high into the sky and launching it into the heavens.

"You know..."Phoenixmon said to Sakuyamon as they watched Gallantmon soar off into the sky. "I take back what I said earlier...you just might be Takato's type..."

Sakuyamon kept her back to Phoenixmon to keep her from noticing the effect Rika's emotions were having on the color of the Digimon's cheeks. "You know...for such a small bird, you sure have a big mouth..." Phoenixmon shook her head as Gallantmon spiraled higher and higher.

"What exactly is he going to do?" ShineGreymon asked, head cocked to one side. "And what in God's name is a "Runamay Locomon?"

Sakuaymon smirked to herself. "You'll see..."

Gallantmon peaked high above the battle below. Cocking his arm back, he loosed Gungir into the heavens with a mighty throw of his arm. It spiraled into the sky and out of sight as Takato raised a hand to direct the attack. "QUO VADIS!" There was a deafening silence and then a shaft of light beamed down from on high and slammed into the ground, releasing shockwaves of light that disintegrated any Arkadimon it touched while leaving their friends unharmed. There was an unholy cry of anguish as the Arkadimon tried in vain to escape the purging light. The air filled with a thick cloud of data as the remnants of the Arkadimon returned to the Digital World. In a few short seconds, the hoard had vanished and a wild cheer loosed itself from the survivors below. Gallantmon caught the weapon as it came back to him, floating back to land beside Sakuyamon

"THAT'S a Runaway Locomon." Sakuyamon said, noting the astonished looks on the faces of Phoenixmon and Gallantmon.

"Wow…" Tai gasped. "That was incredible…you totally wiped them all out"

"Thanks…" Takato said, bashfully. "Coming from you, that means a lot."

"We would have liked to have you on our side when we were facing Apoclymon and the Dark Masters..." Phoenixmon said, equally impressed

"Trust me when I say this; I would have LOVED to have been there!"

Sakuyamon rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Goggles, for once in you life be cool…"

"Err…right…sorry" Gallantmon said, sheepishly. That was Takato; one minute he was eradicating hoards of swarming demon scum and the next he was geekily squealing like a Trekkie at Comic Con.

"Guys…" Phoenixmon's shaky voice brought them back to their senses as she pointed towards the burning dome. Most of the top half had gone, falling onto the street below. The remaining half was shattered, cracked like a broken egg as a small, dark shape huddled in the center of it, surrounded by the thick, choking smoke. Gallantmon exchanged glances with Sakuyamon and ShineGreymon and the four of them hesitantly floated over to the hollowed out dome.

"Unbelievable…" Sora mumbled. "We've been staring at it the whole time…you fought Lucemon just above the seventh Demon Lord…" With a powerful flare of her wings, Phoenixmon sent a gust of wind to clear the smoke away. As the haze lifted, she suddenly wished she hadn't.

A horribly twisted, misshapen, mutated mound of flesh sat in the pit like an ugly duckling hatched from an egg. Its skin was a pallid, yellow color, so transparent that all the arteries and veins that pumped through it were visible to the naked eye. Its legs were practically nonexistent, melded together in a blob of flesh and attached to a black metal apparatus that covered his torso. Thick, black tubes were connected to the monster's frail looking back and chest and fed into the apparatus below. Its long, bony arms were crossed under his thin neck. It's head was huge and bald, with long, sharp teeth jutting out from his mouth and empty, soulless eye sockets where two eyes should have been. Despite its fragility, the strange Demon Lord made the four Megas very, very uneasy.

"What…is it?" Sakuyamon asked, tightening his grip on her staff. "Is that the Seventh Demon Lord?"

"He's the one that controls the Arkadimon…" Gallantmon said. "When I was fighting Lilithmon down there, the Arkadimon attacked the both of us…I don't think that Lucemon and Lilithmon ever had control of them…he must have conjured the Hell Gate…"

"But why is he all…frail looking?" ShineGreymon said, crossing his arms. "He doesn't look all that powerful; in fact, he looks downright unhealthy."

"He must be stronger than he looks," Phoenixmon said, thoughtfully as they flew closer.

"That's not saying much; he doesn't look very strong." Sakuyamon mumbled dryly. "I don't think he can see us; Can he even hear us?"

"I don't think so." Gallantmon said, tapping his sword on the edge of the building and producing a low ringing sound. The creature didn't look up, didn't even move. "What should we do?"

Sora was silent for a moment. "Take him out. But be careful."

Gallantmon and Sakuyamon lingered back while ShineGreymon and Phoenixmon circled in, weapons drawn. The closer that they got to the creature, the greater the feeling of overwhelming hopelessness became. Their wings felt heavy and they had to land to keep from falling out of the sky. ShineGreymon approached the seemingly deaf, dumb and blind Digimon, creeping along the ground as Phoenixmon flanked him from the other side. They looked at each other for a split second before acting. They raised their swords over their heads, counting a silent one…two…three…and…

"_GREEEEEAOOOWWWWW!!" _

A horrible scream rent the air as the misshapen monstrosity opened his snaggle toothed gullet and loosed a paralyzing howl. ShineGreymon froze in mid swing as one long, pallid arm lashed out and snared the crest of Pride from ShineGreymon's neck. With the other, he plucked Lilithmon's crest and drew the blackened objects inward towards his chest. His head snapped up, rapidly snapping back and forth between ShineGreymon and Phoenixmon. Then, letting a slow, deep, hissing laugh he smiled his yellow fangs at them.

"T-T-T-T-T-T-_**Tai**_…" The monster stuttered out, sounding like a CD skipping over a scratch. His voice sounded rasp, faint and harsh at the same time. The way he spoke Tai's name filled him with fear and loathing; it was an unnatural, unholy noise that set his hairs on end. "And Sor-Sor-Sor-" the monster slapped the side of his head. "_**Sora**_." His vacant eyes glared at them both while his mouth held the eerie grin. "its ssss**sssooo**_oo_oo gooD to SEEEEEE you Both…it's bEen so _looOO__**oo**__oOOoo_oOoooo_o_ooo_ooOoong_ since we've had the chance to ch-ch-ch- damn…WhAt iS wORd…_**chat…yesssssss ChAt-t-t**_ like this."

"Who are you?" Tai asked, brandishing his sword and stepping in front of Phoenixmon slightly. "And what's wrong with you? Why are you talking like that?"

The beast raised a hand to his chest in offense. "You mean? you don't r-r-r-r-r-r-r-rrrrecognize me?! I am not! surprised…NO I AM NOT…_because_ I seem to have…ah…_**changed**_, yes, that's it…I have chaNGEd since last we met-t-t-t-t-t-t-t…"

"How have you changed?" Sora asked, readying her blade. "What do you mean by that?"

The beast let out a dark, low, chuckle hissing through his teeth as he did. "Wellll….what happened wassssss….During the ReConFigUrAtiTing processssss…something went WRONG, WRONG, WORNG, WRONG!!….W…R…O…N…G…WRONG! So very. Very very, very, very, very, very Wrong and NoW I Am a SheLL of my former sellff…." He popped his neck with a series of sickening cracks. "I must have trrrrrrrravelled the Digital World for **years** and _years_ and years and YEARS!! Half…A…Life…Time…I waSTEd on Searching for new… _friends…._Like _yours_ to HELP ME!! And so I found them…hee, hee…my NEW FRIENDS…ho,ho, hee…imprisoned by the cursed _**Sovereigns**_ they were…hee…hee…imprisoned in FIRE and Flames and…_**Darkness **_so I did a naughty thing, I did…you want to _know_ what it was?? REAllY?? OKAYYYY I'll Telllll you……I… let… them… out…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA." ShineGreymon tightened his hold on his sword as the Digimon threw his head back and laughed. "I Let them out! And…And…And… and they took good care of me they did…oh, yesssssss….they brought me back here…where it all began, so long ago…." He looked around the cityscape with hollow, lifeless eyes. "Oh…Tokyo…how I've missed you …"

"You didn't answer my question; who are you?"

"Still, STILL you do not know me…but it has beeen a while…yessssss….Soooooo young you were….when you stood in that same spot, bold as brrrrassssssss….and….cast…me…down." He hissed, softly. "I thought…brrrrrrrrrringing you back here would help jarrrrrrrr your memory…."

Tai froze and felt Sora freeze beside him. "I know that voice…"

"Ssssssince New…YEARS…IT HAS BEEN…"

"No…impossible…." Phoenixmon gasped, coming to the same conclusion Tai had.

"Impossible…Noooooo…no no no no no no no no no no nien, nyecht, nah, naaaaaa,…veeerrrry possible, true in fact, SSSSSSSORA…."

"I know your name…"

"Then SP-SP-SP-SPeaK it…"

"I never thought you'd return…" he growled. "Not again…"

"BuT I DiD!!" The Demon Lord cackled. "Heeeeeeere's MEEEEEEEEEE!!"

Phoenixmon gasped. "What the hell happened to you?"

He only smiled his mirthless, cold smile, all trace of mania vanished. "_Hell _happened to me…In Fire and Flame I was Consumed…Twisted…misshapen…deformed…Reborn…Demon…Lord…Myotismon…Lord…of Darkness" Opening his mouth, he reached down his gullet and pulled out a blackened Crest on the end of a long chain. He held it up for them to see. "And now…SinCe yOu'Ve brought mE the others…" He held up the Crests of Lust and Pride. "I...will grow stronger…"

"NO!" Tai shouted as Myotismon chained the three crests together and opened his mouth. Leaving Phoenixmon behind, he charged forward, blade drawn, ready to slay Myotismon. The data around him was swirling, collecting in a thick, dark mist and covering him from view. ShineGreymon soared as fast as he could towards the emerging figure. He had to stop him before he crossed over, before he could absorb the Crests. He was almost there; the data hadn't fully converged yet. With one almighty swing of his fist, he drove the GeoGrey Sword forward…

The mist dissipated, vanishing with a swing of the sword, leaving nothing behind…

"YES!!" Gallantmon cried, punching the air. "You did it, Tai!

ShineGreymon looked back at Gallantmon, a cold feeling of dread growing in the pit of his stomach. Was it over? Was it that easy? Was Myotismon really gone this-

_Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap _

Tai's heart plummeted as he looked up to see the source of the mocking applause. His eyes traveled up from the shiny, gold buckled black boots, up the finely tailored black pants, up to the black jacket, embroidered with silver and gold, to the pale, handsome face, set with cold blue eyes and capped with a head of long, jet black hair. His black feathered angel's wings beat in time with his gloved hands, beating out a mock applause as he hovered over the four Megas.

"Bravo…bellisimo!" the newly formed Myotismon cheered, all traces of his flawed speech gone. "That was truly a valiant attempt, young Kamiya; you're a credit to your Crest. But," He raised a hand to the rising sun, clenching his fist and as he lowered his arm back to his side, the sun reversed its trek across the skies and the city was once again, plunged into darkness "It's not over yet. I told you when we met that it was my destiny to cover the world in darkness," Myotismon said, softly. "Today…I intend to fulfill it."

_AN: Breakdown!_

_Yes, Myotismon is back_

_No, he's not quite the same._

_After MaloMyotismon was defeated, his data didn't reconfigure properly (hence the misshapen form and the garbled speech) _

_The Demon Lords cared for him after they released him. _

_After consuming the Crests of Lust and Pride, along with his Crest of Darkness, he managed to Digivolve into Demon Lord Myotismon. _

_Read_

_Review (It fills me with resolve to finish the story! We're almost done! Three more fights and then the Epilogue!!) _

_Paz_

_Amor_

_DOTMW_


	15. The End pt 2: Into The Inferno

_Chapter Fourteen_

_The End pt 2: _

_Into The Inferno_

"YEEEAAAAHHHH!!"

"WHOO HOO!! WE DID IT!!"

"HA HA!! WE'RE STILL ALIVE!! WE'RE STILL ALIVE!!"

"They're gone…THEY'RE GONE!!"

"YAY!!"

"MIMI!! You're…crushing…me…"

"Guys…"

"What happened?! Where did all the Arkadimon go?"

"IT'S GALLANTMON!! He must have used his Quo Vadis!!"

"Guys, look!"

"I thought we were fried for sure!! Looks like you two should have waited…now you're stuck together for-"

"GUYS!!"

The celebrating DigiDestined looked over to see Kari looking up at the top of the dome. "What's going on, up there?"

TK came to stand beside her, head tilted to one side. The rising sun illuminated the burning building as the familiar four figures of Gallantmon and Sakuyamon were accompanied by two strange looking Digimon as they flew straight into the inferno. "Who are those two with Sakuaymon and Gallantmon?"

Beelzemon chuckled to himself, shaking his head as the smaller of the two new Digimon beat the smoke away with her wings. "Well I'll be an Apemon's uncle…" he muttered. "There's more to you Digi-Dorks than meets the eye, isn't there?"

"Yep, I-Hey!" Davis shouted, glaring at Beelzemon. "Who're you calling a Digi-Dork?"

"What are they doing up there?" Ryo mumbled, turning to Cyberdramon who shrugged. "The battle is over; why don't they-" His mouth went dry before he could complete the thought. "The…Gate…" he whispered, looking across the water at the remaining obelisk. "It should be gone by now. Why…why isn't it disappearing?"

"Huh?" Ken put Yolei down and turned to face Ryo. "What do you mean?"

Ryo ignored Ken, pushing his way through the group until he stood at the base of the building, looking up at the inferno consuming it. "It…can't be." Fumbling in his pockets, he withdrew his D-Arc and aimed it at the top of the building, counting off the Digimon that registered on his field. "One…two…three…four…" he swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to face the questioning eyes of his friends. "Five. There are five Mega level Digimon up there…"

"What?!" Izzy exclaimed. "I know about Sakuyamon, Gallantmon and WarGreymon but…who're the other two?"

"I'm pulling up the data…" Henry flipped his glasses open, staring at the screen expectantly. "I can patch through to Rika's D-Arc and pull the data on the others…" Henry was silent for a moment as the inferno raged up ahead. "Got it! Two Vaccine's one Data and Two Virus types. I got a reading on…Gallantmon…Sakuyamon…wait…I'm getting something else…ShineGreymon? And…I got a reading that's similar to that of Phoenixmon but…different somehow…"

"That must be that bird Digimon…" Joe said thoughtfully. "But where did she come from?"

"Well…ShineGreymon is another form of Agumon, like WarGreymon and Gaiomon…but Phoenixmon is the Mega form of…Biyomon?"

"Sora!" Matt exclaimed. "She's alright…"

Henry paused, biting his lip and glaring at the screen. "That's odd…I can't pick up on Sora or Tai's signal…"

"What does that mean?" Kari asked.

"It means…they're not up there…" Henry said, looking up. "I can't get a bead on them at all and unless they…no…" Henry looked up at the building then back at the screen then back at the building. "I…I don't believe it."

"Believe it, kid." Beelzemon said, folding his arms.

"What? What is it?" Kari asked, looking from Ryo to Henry

"But how…is this possible?" Ryo asked, ignoring Kari's question.

"It's not." Beelzemon said simply. 'But they did it. Somehow they did it."

"Why don't you guys start making sense?" Matt butted in. "What's going on up there?! Where're Sora and Tai?"

Henry opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, an ear splitting screech rent the air.

_GREEEEEAOOOWWWWW_

"What the hell was that?" TK groaned, still holding his ringing ears.

"Ladies and Gentlemon, Mega number Five." Ryo tapped his screen as he tried to get a good reading on the source of the screeching. "Damn…not working…"

"What's wrong?" Izzy piped up, moving to stand behind Ryo, looking over his shoulder.

"It's weird…but I can't get a solid mark on this guy." Ryo muttered, shaking his D-Arc lightly. "It's almost like…hm…Beelzemon? Can you get a read on this guy? You know…use you're Demon Lord super powers…"

Beelzemon rolled his eyes, closing his two regular ones and opening his third. He was silent for a moment, eyes screwed up in concentration and fidgeting slightly. Finally he opened his eyes with a snarl. "No!" he ran around the side of his bike, laying both his shotguns on the side.

"Will someone please finish a thought around here?!" Mimi squealed, stamping her feet. "Where are Tai and Sora? Who exactly is up there? Who just screamed?! Why can't you get a read on that guy and WHY IS NO ONE TALKING STRAIGHT?!"

Beelzemon fished the worn out tags from around his neck. "To answer your questions, in order; Biomerged, Demon Lord, Demon Lord, because his data is corrupt and unreadable and because we have better things to do."

"Uh-oh…" Gomamon's soft, squeaky voice caused everyone to look over at him, backlit by the beautiful sunset…

"Wait…what's going on?" Ken asked, watching the rising sun dip back to the east, slowly lengthening the shadows around them. 'The sun was coming up…why is it going back?!"

"That's the power of a Demon Lord." Beelzemon mentioned. "He's plunging the world into darkness."

"I thought there were only Six?!" Matt moaned. "There's MORE?!"

"There are always Seven Demon Lords, regardless of who leaves, dies or disappears. Lucemon must have filled my spot after I defected." Beelzemon was glaring at the top of the building. "And it gets better…our new friend swiped Lilithmon and Lucemon's crests to make himself stronger."

"Digivolving?" Izzy dared to ask.

"No. Digivolution is a natural, normal process. What this freak is doing is more along the lines of…Digi-Mutating. He's using the Dark Crests to hack his own data and reconfigure himself as he sees fit."

"Why would he do that?" Yolei asked. "If he was that strong, he could just Digivolve."

"Well…" Henry tapped his chin. "Sometimes if a Digimon really takes a beating in battle…their data can sometimes get…garbled. Somewhere in between death and regeneration and returning to Primary Village, their Data becomes corrupt, so they may not be able to access normal Digivolution paths. The Dark Crests offer a power boost but…"

"But what?" Gatomon asked.

"He's getting stronger, but he's doing what no Digimon should ever do. He may be changing to fit his own needs, but that kind of change is extremely unstable! Unless he keeps a lid on his new power, his data is going to break down and his reserves of energy will be released! He's going to wipe himself out along with the entire city!"

"WHAT?! So that means that we've got a ticking Time Bombmon up there that will wipe us out if we try to destroy it?!" Matt said, incredulously.

"Uhh…pretty much, yeah."

"So what do we do?" Izzy asked.

Beelzemon stepped past him, standing in front of Mimi. He reached around his neck and pulled out the Crests of Envy, Sloth, Wrath and Greed before turning to Mimi. "I need you to hold on to these."

"What?! No, absolutely not!" Izzy blurted out, shaking his head vehemently, stepping between her and Beelzemon.

"I'm sorry…" Beelzemon said. "I have something I need to do and I can't carry these with me."

"But…why Mimi?" Palmon asked, hugging her friend's leg.

"She's the only one here who totally resisted Daemon and Leviamon's crests." Beelzemon mentioned. "Anyone else may succumb to their power and fall into darkness. Mimi…somehow shook off the powers of Wrath and Envy at the same time, so I think she's our safest bet…"

"You said those things were designed to destroy us. There's no way in Hell's Half Acre that I'm going to let you put those…those…_things _around her neck!" Izzy stopped when Mimi brushed past him.

"Okay…" she said softly, gazing at the dangling Crests. "I'll do it."

"Mimi, no…there has to be another way…some other means of doing this…why does she have to hold on to them?!" Unshed tears welled up behind Izzy's eyes.

"Because…they need me." Beelzemon looked up at the tower before looking back. "Right now, my replacement wants nothing more than to get his freaky little claws on all the Crests. I can't just rush up there, delivering them to him on a silver platter! Mimi's Crest, Sincerity…may afford her some protection." Beelzemon finished.

"I don't care!" Izzy snapped at Beelzemon. "We have other options…there's always another solution! Give them to me! I'll keep them safe!"

"Izzy…" Mimi said, softly.

"I'm just as capable of wearing them as she is!"

"Izzy."

"Or maybe…we…give me a sec…I'll…I'll think of something!" Izzy looked helplessly back at Mimi who was smiling at him through teary eyes.

"Izzy…I'm sorry…" She turned back to Beelzemon and tentatively took the offered Crests. "What about yours?"

Beelzemon looked at the Crest of Gluttony for a long minute. "I can't Digivolve without my partners…but I can hack my own data with this thing…" He looked back at Henry and Ryo for a moment. "If I don't come back…you get Mimi as far away from here as possible! Don't let that bastard have her!!"

"He won't…" Izzy said, eyes burning as he took Mimi's hand. "I'll kill him myself if he comes anywhere near her." Mimi gave him a shaky smile and kissed his cheek. Already, he noticed, her lips were losing their natural warmth; her skin was losing shades of color by the minute. "Do what you need to do, Beelzemon! Make it quick!"

"Right…" He took a deep breath before looking back at his Crest. "Man…hoped I would never have to do this again…" TO the astonishment of everyone, he opened his mouth and promptly swallowed the Crest. He gagged, coughed, doubled over in pain. A dark mist spewed from his mouth and swirled over his right arm and his back. When it vanished, a long black cannon replaced his arm and a pair of black leathery wings now jutted out of his back.

"Beelzemon Blast Mode." Ryo said, anticipating the next question. "Go Get 'em!"

Beelzemon looked back, nodding once before soaring off into the inferno.

* * *

"So…shall we, then?" Myotismon raised a finely trimmed eyebrow, looking back at Tai, Sora, Rika and Takato who had circled around him, weapons at the ready.

"You just don't know when to die, do you?" Phoenixmon growled.

Myotismon glanced over at her with a shadow of a smile. "The same could be said for you and your friends…no matter how many time I try to expunge you from my world, you always seem to come back…with new friends, nonetheless." He looked over at Gallantmon and Sakuyamon. "You always seem to introduce me to the most _interesting _Digimon…"

"What can we say; we're popular." ShineGreymon said, without a trace of humor in his voice.

"Well, I can see the past four years have done nothing for your manners…very well…" Myotismon raised a gloved hand facing the sky. A ball of dark energy consolidated in his palm, stretching and lengthening until it formed the subtle outline of a sword. He closed his hand, and a thin, black rapier materialized in his hand. He swished it a few times, experimenting with the feel before aiming it at ShineGreymon's chest. "En Gaurde, then?"

ShineGreymon batted it aside with his own sword. "Ready when you are…"

The tension in the air was electric. The old adversaries glared at each other with an intensity that rivaled the fire that raged around them. Myotismon scanned the Digimon before him, waiting for the first move. Then, he lunged.

"CORONA DESTROYER!!" Myotismon froze in mid swing to see a white hot Pentagram glowing in midair. Behind it, a menacing Beelzemon aimed his cannon right at the center of the star. A bolt of light surged out of the seal, scorching through the air and collided with Myotismon sending him crashing down through the bottom of the dome. Tai looked up to see Beelzemon floating in midair, blowing the smoke off his cannon.

"Beelzemon?" Gallantmon cocked his head to the side. "When did you get here?"

"Oh…about the time you and Rika were getting tender downstairs…" Beelzemon said with a smirk.

"What?" Sakuyamon glared back at him. "What exactly does he mean by that?"

"Um…now's not really a good time, Rika." Gallantmon said, looking down through the hole that Myotismon had made.

Myotismon brushed his coat off, looking back up at him with a slightly amused expression on his face. "Ouch." He said in a deadpan voice. Raising his sword, red light gathered around the tip, streaming backwards around Myotismon like a cone of crimson energy.

"CRIMSON LANCE!!" Myotismon kicked off the ground with a flare of his wings and launched upwards, red energy crackling around his blade. Gallantmon staggered back as Myotismon roared back through the gap in the dome, shooting up into the air and leveling with Beelzemon.

"And who in the Nine Circles of Hell do you think you are to be coming in and interrupting our business?" Myotismon sneered at the former Demon Lord, pointing his blade at Beelzemon.

Beelzemon returned the gesture with his arm cannon. "Sorry, _bub, _this city is big but it's a little small for the two of us…"

"Beelzemon!" ShineGreymon called out.

"Stay out of this, Tai!" Beelzemon called back. "This is between me and old Fang Face here!"

Myotismon chuckled darkly as the fallen angels began to circle each other. "So…you've heard of me, then?"

Beelzemon snorted. 'Please…there isn't Baby in the Digiworld who didn't quake in their eggshells when their mummies broke out the Myotismon stories!" Myotismon smiled, obviously pleased to hear of his supposed infamy. "And then laughed their little butts off when they heard how he got beaten by a bunch of stinking _humans _and their Digi-Pets TWICE!!" The smile on Myotismon's was replaced by an ugly sneer as Beelzemon ignored him and turned to face Tai and Sora. "No offense…"

"Oh, and you're so much better, _Beelzemon_?!" The Lord of Darkness spat. "At least I never lowered myself to consorting with human children like a mincing little Fairymon! At least _I _still have my dignity!"

Beelzemon chuckled. "Dignity? Is that what you call it? It wasn't long ago that I followed the same philosophy. But I learned that these children possess a strength that couldn't be found sulking in the shadows, pretending to be superior to every other Digimon who dares to believe differently." Takato was stunned at how…philosophical Beelzemon was being. "_That_ is why I left. To pursue a power greater than any the Demon Lords could have offered."

Myotismon rolled his eyes. "Typical preaching Digipet drivel. Have you really lost so much of your potency? Is this what the Lord of Gluttony has been reduced to? No wonder that the Demon Lords practically welcomed me with open arms; seeing you, the shoes to fill aren't that huge. Crest of Gluttony; please." Myotismon spat onto the ground below.

"Coming from the wielder of Darkness?" Beelzemon laughed. "That's a good one! All you have are your shadowy secrets and your dark…spooky mysteries…" Beelzemon nodded at the Four Megas below them. "I'm not afraid of the dark and neither are they."

To Beelzemon's surprise, Myotismon began chuckling to himself. Slowly and steadily, his laughter grew to a high pitched crescendo, echoing and reverberating across the blackened, smoky canyons of Tokyo.

"Don't fear the dark…" Myotismon said, looking back at Beelzemon. "Fear the one who's in it." Myotismon looked around. "What did you do with the Crests, Beelzemon?"

"Dunno." Beelzemon said. "Must still be with the other Demon Lords back in Digi-Hell."

"Really?" Myotismon looked at him, then slowly his gaze traveled downwards where the knot of Digidestined were looking up in horror. "Cause I could've sworn you handed them to dear, sweet Mimi."

Beelzemon's eyes widened in shock as Myotismon dove out of the sky like a streaking comet, point of his weapon aimed at the weakened Mimi. The distance between them grew shorter and shorter, the attacks of the Rookie Digimon alerted to his presence bouncing off him as he raced towards the startled Digidestined. Myotismon chuckled as Izzy flung himself in his path. No matter. The sword would cleave them both in two and then-

Myotimon's thoughts and flight were stopped a mere feet from the startled Izzy. Both of his arms jerked back as Gallantmon and ShineGreymon grabbed his arms. He flapped and flailed his wings in an attempt to break loose but the two just pinned his arms to his wings and held them out to his sides. A flutter of multicolored feathers announced the arrival of Phoenixmon who inserted herself between the Demon Lord and her astonished friends.

"Nobody…_nobody…_lays a hand on Mimi…without dealing with me first."

Myotismon's astonished jaw dropped only to be closed again as Phoenixmon drew her leg back and connected it with his face as Gallantmon and ShineGreymon threw him back into the air and gave chase.

"Phoenixmon!!" Gallantmon cried over his shoulder. "Keep Mimi safe!!"

Phoenixmon nodded "Izzy!" Izzy looked up as the bird digimon fired up a blazing sword and fixed him with an equally blazing look. "Get Mimi out of here! Myotismon knows she has the crests! Get her back to the park!"

"Wha…who are…" Izzy said but Matt was frozen solid as he gazed up at Phoenixmon in awe.

"S-S-Sora…" Matt breathed, awestruck by the bird's beauty and terrified at her awesome power. Her head swiveled around like a hawk and regarded him with sharp, burning, reddish eyes. His face flushed and suddenly he was scared to look her into the eye. He looked down, hoping she would forget he was there. He wanted nothing more to melt into the ground and disappear. In her new form, he was surprised she hadn't incinerated him in the spot. She turned away, gently laying a warm hand on Mimi's cold, clammy cheek and lifting a lock of hair from her face. She looked back up at Izzy who just looked at her, stunned. He nodded and for a moment, Matt thought she was just about to leave when, in a flurry of rainbow wings, she turned to face him. He promptly looked away, stomach turning as the air around him became warmer. She stopped in front of him; he felt her standing there but couldn't bring himself to look at her. All the squirming feelings of shame and guilt surrounding their breakup threatened to overwhelm him and if he looked at her, straight in the eye he felt that he would totally lose it.

"Matt…" Matt winced as Sora's voice resonated with Biyomon's. Her hand reached down, cupping him under the chin and forcing him to look up at her. Her own personal light shone from her wings and glinted off her helmet. Never in the years that he had known her had he had to look _up _at her. When he looked into her reddish brown eyes, tinted with a hawkish glint, he saw no anger or bitterness or sadness. He saw only love. And that just killed him.

"Sora…I'm…I'm so sorry…I never meant for any of this to happen…pleas…_please…_don't hate me…I…I just couldn't live with myself if you hated me…you're one of my best friends…please…"

"Matt…" She raised another hand to wipe an unshead tear from his eye. "I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't hurt by what you said…what you did." His heart shattered as two rebellious tears slid down his face. "But…" she leaned down, gently kissing his forehead. "I could never hate you…I…will always love you…even if I'm not in love with you."

Matt looked past her to where ShineGreymon was fighting Myotismon, clashing blades and casting fire and lightning. "Tai…"

Phoenixmon nodded slowly. "Yes...I suppose...it's always been Tai..."

Matt wiped his eyes. "Well…you can do a lot worse, that's for sure…" He looked back at Mimi and Izzy before turning back to her. "Go."

"What?"

"I'll watch out for these guys…I'll keep Mimi safe. You go. Tai's totally lost without you."

Phoenixmon looked up at Tai then back at Matt. "Thank you…"

"Got get him." Matt said. "End this, and we'll have that party we promised you."

Phoenixmon gave Matt one last grateful look before kicking off the ground and taking off into the skies. Matt looked back after her for a moment, shaking his head. "You're one lucky guy, Tai. I hope you know that." Suddenly, a thought hit him. "Wait…Myotismon?"

* * *

Beelzemon raised his gun arm in time to hear the hot scream of metal on metal as Myotismon's sword slid along the length of the barrel, sending sparks flying into his third eye. Beelzemon pushed back, ramming the barrel of the cannon into Myotismon's chest.

"Corona Blaster!" A streak of energy erupted from the barrel, ripping through Myotismon's chest. In a poof of smoke, Myotismon was gone.

"Is…is that it?" Gallantmon asked, looking around. "Is he gone?"

ShineGreymon scanned the skies, looking for any trace of the Demon Lord. "I think…we did it!"

"Yes!" Phoenixmon cried, looking up at Beelzemon who was still searching the skyline.

"Sora!" ShineGreymon turned to Phoenixmon. "I thought you were supposed to be protecting Mimi!"

"Matt's looking after her." Phoenixmon said. "Though it doesn't seem to matter now! He's gone!"

"Hn…that takes care of that." Sakuyamon sighed.

"YES! WE DID IT!!"

Sora's throat closed up as a crisp, glib voice spoke from beside her. Turning her head, she came face to face with Myotismon who was hovering in mid air, looking up at Beelzemon, legs crossed and sword resting on his lap. He turned to Phoenixmon as if he had just noticed her.

"Hi." He said. Before Sora could even think about what to do she felt a red hot poker jab its way into her shoulder as Myotismon's rapier drove home. Before she could let out her cry of anguish, she felt something dull smash into her head, drive into her stomach and send her hurling through the air and into towards building below.

"SORA!" ShineGreymon cried as Myotismon dispatched her with a flurry of jabs, hilt smashes and kicks. Without waiting for Tai's inevitable request, Sakuyamon dove from the sky, flying under Phoenixmon and catching the disoriented Digimon before she could hit ground.

"Funny that a fox is saving a bird from falling." Sakuyamon said with a wry smile as she caught Phoenixmon under her arms.

Sora looked up as her rescuer. "Thanks, Rika." Sakuaymon nodded as the two soared up through the crumbling dome, dodging falling masonry and flitting past stray bolts of energy. They emerged to see Gallantmon and ShineGreymon locked in an intense fight with Myotismon while Beelzemon circled around them, trying to get a clear shot.

"Don't!" Sakuyamon said, grabbing Phoenixmon's arm to stop her from entering the fight. "It's crazy enough in there without us muddling things up!"

"So what are we supposed to do, float here?"

"Yeah, until…" Sakuyamon was cut off as ShineGreymon and Gallantmon streaked past them, slamming into a skyscraper in a puff of dust and debris. They looked back to see Myotismon brushing his wings off and looking back at the two of them expectantly. "That happens!"

Sakuyamon twirled her staff, holding it like a lance and charged the waiting Demon Lord. He batted her aside with his rapier in time to see a bolt of flaming energy roar straight at him. HE raised his arm, blocking the blast and dissipating the fire as Sakuaymon looped back over Phoenixmon and smashed her staff down on Myotismon's raised sword.

_SMASH!  
_

Silver and gold shards fell through the air as the staff and the sword shattered into thousand pieces. There was a beat of silence before Sakuyamon drove her boot into Myotismon's chest, driving him back into Phoenixmon's waiting arms. She took a hold of Myotismon's powerful black wings and, pressing a foot against his back, she pulled with all her strength. With a series of pops, rips and sickening snaps, the wings came loose and Myotismon fell through the air.

With a dull, nauseating thud, Myotismon hit the ground and vanished into a cloud of data.

Phoenixmon held the dissipating wings, breathing hard and glaring at the lingering mist cloud. She was vaguely aware of ShineGreymon and Gallantmon moving beside her. Sakuyamon and Beelzemon completed the circle and the five of them stared down at what was left of Myotismon.

"Is that it then?" Gallantmon asked.

"Not much of him left…course we were fooled last time." Beelzemon replied.

Phoenixmon tossed the wings aside, looking back at ShineGreymon. "I'm beginning to think that Matt was right."

"About what?"

She cocked her head to the side. "You really are lost without me."

Tai was about to say something that he thought was sweet and romantic when Gallantmon's gasp of surprise caught his attention.

"Look!" he pointed down at the mist cloud that was beginning to swirl and condense into a pillar of smoky black mist. It circled in the air a few times before rocketing off across the bay.

"Where's he…no!" Phoenixmon gasped.

"What?! What is it?"

"He's heading for the park!"

They turned to face each other; the same awful thought dawning on them.

"…Mimi…"

_AN: WHEW!! That was tough…I'd like to thanks Nobuo Uematsu and Buckethead for providing kickass music for me to write to! Sorry about the long update but I'm done so I'll update one a day until we're done!! Yay!! Any preference on when I should Update the chapters? (Morning, afternoon, night?) _


	16. The End pt 3: The Darkest Hour

Chapter Fifteen: The End pt 3: The Darkest Hour

_Chapter Fifteen: The End pt 3_

_The Darkest Hour_

_(AN: Scavenger Hunt! I make five separate Anime/video game references in this chapter. Three are obvious but two are a little trickier!) _

Izzy rang out a damp cloth and continued to dab Mimi's aching forehead. She shivered at the touch as Joe tried to bring the fever down but nothing seemed to be working.

"It's the Crests, Izzy." Joe said. "There's nothing physically wrong with her; the Crests are just…sucking her life force or something…"

Izzy sighed, walking over to one of the park benches and laid her down. After Gomamon had Digivolved to Zudamon, they beat a path across the bay to Shiokaze Park where the Hell Gate still stood. It was quiet now, but MegaGargomon kept a sharp eye on it in case, well, all hell broke loose.

"So…what can we do for her?" Izzy asked.

Joe shrugged, wiping his glasses with the corner of his shirt. "Hope Myotismon goes down before she gets any worse. I don't know how much longer she can-"

"Thanks Joe." Izzy cut him off, looking back across bay to see Beelzemon, Gallantmon, Sakuyamon, ShineGreymon and Beelzemon flying back at them, waving their arms and trying to say something.

"What?" Izzy said, standing up, cocking his head to the side. The five Megas started pointing down in front of them, where a specter of mist was gliding across the water.

"Heads up, guys!" Matt called from MetalGarurumon's back. "Something stinks here…" ustimon and MegaGargomon looked back from the Gate, Justimon leaping over MetalGarurumon while MegaGargomon cocked a missile for launch.

"Get ready!"

"Ready for what?" Justimon said. "Just what are we attacking here?"

"That mist cloud or whatever's in it…" Matt mentioned darkly.

"I thought they took care of him…" MegaGargomon snarled in frustration

"Yeah, well that's what we thought last time…" MagnaAngemon said.

"And the time before that…" Angewomon put in, knocking an arrow.

"This guy just doesn't know how to die!" Justimon said.

Paildramon aimed both blasters at the mist. "Let's teach him then!"

As the mist reached the edge of the water, Justimon stepped in front, holding his Blitz Arm out. "Freeze or I'll­-" What Justimon would have done wasn't clear because the mist passed through the Mega, shooting past him and heading straight for Mimi.

"Stop!" MetalGarurumon jumped in front of the mist but the cloud of data paid no mind to the rockets, ice blasts and celestial arrows whizzing through it. Without flinching, it soared right through Izzy, picked the still unconscious Mimi up from the table and slammed her unceremoniously into the side of the Gate.

_CRACK! _Her vibrant brown eyes flew open as the back of her head connected with the onyx marble, instantly finding Izzy's horrified expression in the midst of her friends. She held his gaze for a moment then her eyes dimmed, fogged over and she slowly slid down the Gate as the mist cloud disappeared.

A icy breeze whipped through the air, catching a stray scrap of a dry, grey, lifeless leaf and tossing it high above the dumbstruck faces of the Digidestined and their partners, flipping through the vapor trails left by the mist, getting caught in a back draft from the beating wings of Phoenixmon and finally sticking to the tear stained cheek of a certain, supposed genius as he watched the only girl he ever loved thrashed into the side of a stone slab like a rag doll.

Izzy was vaguely aware of the shouting, cursing screaming around him, but it was like he was looking at the world through a fogged glass. His friends were scrambling around, looking for the mist but Izzy only wandered over to where Mimi lay on the grass, not really registering Joe yelling for him to get him a wet cloth, that she still had a pulse but it was getting weaker. All he really saw was Mimi; his Mimi.

He reached a hand out to wipe a trickle of blood from her lip, not noticing Joe frantically rummaging through his bag, saying how he needed a splint, tourniquet and a dozen other things he didn't have in order to save her. Her skin was curiously cold; not the rosy, warm, infinitely soft skin he spent months touching, massaging, and kissing. Joe was in a full blown panic, tugging at his hair, glasses askew but Izzy didn't seem to pay attention. His eyes traveled down from her face, towards her neck where there were five ominous black crests noticeably absent.

This strange, disturbing fact awakened the intellectual in Izzy and he couldn't help but voice the question that was on the tip of his tongue.

"Where are the Crests?"

As if the universe had heard him and decided to answer his question, a howl of agony split the air. He turned around to see Beelzemon fighting off the mist cloud that hovered around his back. The mist was taking human form as Myotismon's Fallen Angel body rematerialized in time for him to sink his fangs into Beelzemon's neck.

"Beelzemon!" Sakuyamon cried.

"GET THIS PALE BLOODSUCKING LEECH FREAK OFF OF ME!!" he bellowed, firing his gun over his shoulder in an attempt to hit the Demon Lord but nothing he did was working.

"SHOOT HIM ANGEWOMON!!" Kari cried, biting her lip.

"I can't!" Angewomon cried, trying to get a clear shot. "I might hit Beelzemon! He's a Demon Lord; my arrows will rip him to shreds!"

"Paildramon?"

"No luck; he's moving too fast!"

"GYAHHHHHHHHHHH" Beelzemon slammed into the back of the Gate, trying to get Myotismon off his back but nothing he did was working. Slowly, his wings began to disappear and his arm cannon fell off. His data dissipated until Beelzemon reverted back to Impmon, falling to the ground, rolling over and looking up at Myotismon who was greedily clutching the eight dark Crests.

"All mine…all mine!" He crowed in delight. Opening his foul, festering mouth he swallowed all eight in one go, gagging, choking, spitting up until the lump vanished from his throat and down his gullet.

He smiled, his pointy teeth flashing in the dim light sighing as a thirsty man does after downing a glass of ice water. "Finally…after eight, long years I will finally finish the work I began…and drown this world in my own personal touch of…_darkness._"

He opened his mouth, chuckling deeper and deeper as a thick, black fog spewed from his maw with every laugh. Blacker than the night, the Gate and the inky black water that lapped against the docks behind him, it consumed Myotismon, swirling, shifting, climbing higher and higher until it took a human shape atop the Gate. As soon as it came, it was gone and in its place, a monster stood.

The handsome, enchanting Myotismon was gone, warped and twisted beyond all recognition. A skeletal face, capped with monstrous ram horns glared down at them with cold, empty eyes. Powerful arms gripped a wicked looking scythe and powerful skeletal legs, wrapped in bare muscle floated above the onyx slab. Its ribs were laid open and in the place of organs and tissue there was a floating black sphere of energy, crackling with electricity. He gave off a foul, cold mist that seemed to drown the world in despair by simply existing.

"Well, Well, Well…" the beast said, eight voices echoing as one. "Not the body I would have chosen but…I suppose it gets the job done." He glared down at the Digimon and their partners. "Finally…after sooooo long…I will have my vengeance…vengeance for all the dark Digimon fallen at you hands…payback for all the wrongs I've suffered because of you…" he raised his scythe high above his head, bony face grinning madly. "Myotismon rises anew with all the powers of Darkness at my disposal…to put an end to the Sovereign's reign and usher in a new era where the scions of Shadows reign supreme…PhantomMyotismon, The Dark Avenger, ruler of both Real _and_ Digital worlds!"

"He sure loves to talk…" ShineGreymon glanced at the other Digimon. "Well…now what?"

"All together!" ShineGreymon looked up to find Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, a teary eyed Lilymon, MangaAngemon, Aquilamon, MetalGarurumon, Ankylomon, Justimon, MegaGargomon, Zudamon and MegaKabuterimon floating behind him, ready to roll.

"He must fancy himself some kind of avenger." Sakuaymon said coolly.

"Avenger nothing." Gallantmon spat. "I thought avengers were supposed to be stronger than their prey!"

"He doesn't give a damn about the other Demon Lords…" Phoenixmon said. "He sacrificed them all to become stronger himself."

"And now the greedy little bloodsucker thinks he's _king_?" Justimon laughed. "What, just cause he said so?"

"You know something…" ShineGreymon glared back up at PhantomMyotismon before turning to Phoenixmon. "I'm getting a little tired of hearing this guy moan about how acrimoniously unfair the world has been to him every four years."

"I don't know." Phoenixmon cocked her head with a wistful smile. "Evil Digimon have a funny way of keeping our little group together."

"Do you think we'd drift apart without them?" ShineGreymon asked.

Phoenixmon shook her head. "No…not us." ShineGreymon glanced back at her as Tai's human heart skipped a beat. She lit a sword in one hand and looked back up at him expectantly. For a moment, they looked at each other until Sakuyamon nudged her way between them.

"Hi," she said. "Umm, this is really beautiful and touching and I really wish I had a camera so I could treasure this memory forever but there's something you both are forgetting…there…is…a…huge…effing…DEMON THAT IS ABOUT TO KILL US ALL!! SO IF YOU TWO WOULDN'T MIND PUTTING THIS LITTLE CHARADE ON HOLD UNTIL FANGFACE IS GOOD AND DEAD…"

"Okay, Okay!" Phoenixmon held her ear in pain. "Jeez Louise, Takato. You just _had _to fall for the loud one, didn't you?"

"What?" Sakuaymon said, looking between Gallantmon and Phoenixmon. "Come again?"

"Umm…" Gallantmon mumbled.

"Hey, no, put this little charade on hold until later!" Phoenixmon said. "There's a huge effing Demon trying to kill us all!"

"Right, ready?" He looked back at his friends, past the Digimon to where the humans had formed a small semi-circle behind Izzy and Mimi. "We'll be back." He turned back to PhantomMyotismon who had finally decided to take notice of them. "ATTENTION YOU BLOODSUCKING PARASITE!!" He cupped his hands and shouted up at him. "YOU…ARE REALLY GETTING OLD AND I'M AFRAID TO SAY THAT THIS IS THE LAST TIME WE ARE GOING TO PUT UP WITH YOU!!" A flaming circle appeared on the ground. "YOU CAN SUCK UP ALL THE DARK CRESTS YOU WANT AND YOU'LL STILL NEVER BEAT US!"

Phoenixmon moved to stand by his side. "We're a team…a family. And all the powers of Hell can't compare to that." PhantomMyotismon somehow managed to roll his empty eye sockets

"Corny as that just sounded," Sakuyamon earned a glare from Phoenixmon. "She's right. All you're fighting for is power and petty revenge. We're fighting for our friends, our homes…the people we love." She turned her head ever so slightly to her left where Gallantmon stood. "We didn't come all this way to lose to the likes of you!!"

"And how do you plan to defeat me, hmm?" PhantomMyotismon sneered. "I could sweep my scythe and destroy you all!"

"I hate to say it but he's right…" Justimon said. "By my readings, he's gone beyond Mega level."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah…he's like…Super Mega or something…"

"Super Ultimate." MegaGargomon corrected. "It's a phase my dad and the others mentioned to me…it only occurred a couple times and never alone…"

"He has to pull the data from the other Demon Lords…he's DNA Digivolved with all Seven Demon Lords plus Beelzemon's Crest." Justimon explained. "He's quite literally got the power of Eight Mega level Digimon."

"Magnificent." Sakuaymon sighed.

"But…it's not just about the level, right?" Gallantmon said. "We've taken on tougher marks, right?"

"The level and title isn't what worries me…" MegaGargomon said. "This guy just broke about fifty natural laws of Digivolution by using corrupted codes as his basis of reality."

"Right!" Gallantmon cried. "Er…what?"

"Picture a castle built without cement to save time. The Dark Crests he's using are making his data even more unstable. By creating a new Digimon, he sacrificed security for raw energy; he can't control this form for long and when his control runs out…"

"Boom." Justimon said, grimly

"Everyone, stay back except for Gallantmon, Sakuyamon Phoenixmon and me." ShineGreymon whispered. "Protect the humans."

"What?! That's your plan?" Phoenixmon said incredulously. "Decrease our ranks?"

"We'll need all the help we can get, Tai." Sakuyamon insisted. "They can help; they _need _to help. They-"

"They don't stand a chance against Myotismon or whatever that thing is! They'll get slaughtered in a heartbeat and we'll be the only ones left anyway! That way we'll have a Mega reserve team in case…well…"

"We get the picture." Justimon said, dryly. "I'm flattered by the confidence you have in all of us... Just come back in one piece, will ya? I don't want to have to be the one to explain to your parents that you got splattered all over Tokyo by a Demon from Hell."

"Ryo, your confidence in us is an ongoing source of encouragement." Gallantmon muttered.

"I do what I can." Justimon said with a mock salute before turning on his heel to face the other Digimon and the humans. "Let's go, folks. We need to get out of here before things get loud."

"Absolutely not." Joe said, stepping forward. "Mimi is in critical condition. As a medical student, in my professional opinion, moving will probably kill her."

"Well…in my professional as a Mega Digimon superhero, staying here will _definitely_ kill her." Justimon said, crossing his arms. "In our Tokyo, Tojo Memorial Hospital is just three blocks that way. We can get you the supplies you need to treat her there or we can stay here and hope Myotismon doesn't vaporize us. Take your pick."

Joe bit his lip, thinking it over while ShineGreymon glared up at Myotismon. "Let's go, then…we'll carry her between MagnaAngemon and Angewomon, let's go!" He nodded at Izzy who glanced up at the skeletal reaper nervously.

"Don't worry." Sakuyamon said, looking back. "We'll keep him busy." Justimon nodded, looking back before motioning to his comrades. One by one they surrounded MagnaAngemon and Angewomon, carrying the unconscious Mimi and slowly made their way away from the park and around the block. All the while, Myotismon was leering at them, fidgeting with his scythe but making no motion to stop them.

"You're not going to try and follow them?" Phoenixmon asked. "Seriously? My, my…that's quite some restraint you're showing."

"Aww…" ShineGreymon said in mock mollycoddling tone, looking fondly at Phoenixmon. "Our little Demon Lord is all grown up!"

PhantomMyotismon flashed his mouth full of yellow fangs. "I will attend to them in due time…but first…" He vanished.

"Wha-" Gallantmon said. "Where did he-"

"He he he he…"

Gallantmon froze in mid thought, turning slowly to see ReaperMyotimon behind them, scythe behind him and looking at them with a look of cold amusement in his eye sockets. "First I'll finish what I've started…"

"Amethyst Wind!" A hailstorm of purple crystals loosed themselves from the end of Sakuyamon's staff, ripping through the air and hurling at the grinning Digimon. A black mist seeped up through the ground, swirling around the jewel shards and halting them in their tracks. They fell to the ground with a series of dull clinks as the mist retracted, revealing a grinning Demon Lord.

"Try again my dear." PhantomMyotismon taunted, hefting his scythe up and spinning it around, experimentally. Faster than any of them could see, he ripped across the ground, hooking Sakuyamon around the back and twirling her around before launching her into the air. Before Takato could register this new and terrible fact, PhantomMyotismon jumped into the air after her, catching her around the back again before bringing the staff of the scythe behind his head and with all the strength of eight Demon Lords, he brought Sakuyamon crashing down onto the cold, hard pavement.

"RUIN IMPENDANT!" He cried as a crescent of white hot energy shot from the blade of his scythe, ripping into Sakuyamon in unnatural force.

_BBOOM-CRRRACK!!_

The shockwave resonated through the ground, causing the pavement to ripple and crack all around them. Water flew up everywhere as Sakuyamon's body cracked the water line and released a torrent of frigid water. Sakuyamon stirred for a moment and then was still, her data flickering as if it were coming through on a bad TV station.

"S-S-S…" Gallantmon stuttered. "S-Sakuyamon…" Without bothering to look at PhantomMyotismon or the other Megas he dove in after her.

"Takato, wait!" Tai called out but PhantomMyotismon was already on him, scythe cocked back over his shoulder ready to strike. He frantically raised his GeoGrey Sword, blocking, feinting and ducking the whirling scythe strike yet somehow PhantomMyotismon stayed one step ahead of him, dragging the burning blade along his shining armor, leaving dents and scratches where Lucemon couldn't.

Tai's eyes burned as sweat ran down the front of his face. He was fast, with the strength to make every rapid blow count. Every time he tried to gain the upper hand, PhantomMyotismon would redouble his efforts and put him on the offensive once again. Phoenixmon tried several times to get a blast of flame in but in the end, Myotismon would always be just out of her reach.

"Hmm…Not bad for a stinking ape." PhantomMyotismon taunted.

"You're pretty good too…for a bloodsucking freeloader…"

PhantomMyotismon snarled, leaping away from him and holding his scythe out in front of him. "For that…Let Hellfire consume your soul…" the scythe twirled out in front of him, burning hot as it did until it erupted in a blaze of spinning fire. "FLAME PURGE!!" A helix of flame shot from the spinning scythe, narrowly missing ShineGreymon and destroying a neighboring building.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tai saw Phoenixmon flitting back and forth nervously. In that moment of lax concentration, PhantomMyotismon flicked his sword aside and kicked him back. Charging a burst of power in his spiraling orb, he crossed his arms, opening them to release a burst of smoking purple energy.

"FULMINATING DARKNESS" He cried as the torrent of black energy hurled through the air towards ShineGreymon. Tai shut his eyes, waiting for the blast to consume him.

"TAI!"

Tai felt a cold hand of fear grip his heart as he opened his eyes. The blast had stopped, surrounding a figure that threw itself in front of him to absorb the blast.

"No…SORA!" But it was too late. The energy tore through Phoenixmon's body, tearing chunks out of her wings and sending feathers flying back. All at once the energy erupted, sending the now flightless Phoenixmon on a collision course for Gallantmon and Sakuyamon. ShineGreymon dove out of the sky, racing faster and faster in order to catch the falling bird Digimon.

Phoenixmon winced as ShineGreymon's cold, steel gauntlets touched her raw, burned skin. Wearily, she opened her eyes to see him looming over her.

"Hey…" she managed to squeak out. Already Sora could feel her little light bubble beginning to crack and dissipate. The night air and roaring fire registered on her exposed skin as Phoenixmon's data began to break up. Already she could feel lighter, as if her feet were turning into tiny little bubbles and floating off into the air.

"Why?" was all the dragon could say. 'Why did you do that?"

"Because…" she managed to gasp out. "You…were going to get hurt…that blast would have…killed you."

"So you let it kill you instead." Tai's arms were shaking inside the metal shell he was wrapped in. "Sora…don't…please hold on…I can't…I can't even begin to think of life w-w-without you." He pressed the small, broken warrior against his chest. "Matt _was _right; I am hopelessly lost without you…I…I…I need you Sora! I can't live without you!"

She raised a hand, laying it lightly on his armored chest. "Neither…can…I…"

Gallantmon cradled Sakuyamon's head against his chest, feeling her data begin to break up. "Hang on there Rika…you and Renamon can pull through this…I know you can…" Takato felt tears sliding down his human cheeks as he pressed his head against hers. "I don't know if I can beat him without you…I'm so much stronger for having known you that I don't know if I can fight without you…"

Sakuyamon laid her hand on his armored shoulder. "Of…course…you can…you have to…you have to keep fighting…"

"I'm fighting for you." ShineGreymon whispered.

"You keep me going when I feel like quitting." Gallantmon spoke.

Sakuyamon smiled up at him. "Then…we'll do this together…"

"We're…unbeatable…" Phoenixmon said, shakily. "Love…and Courage…"

"You…" Sakuyamon said. "And me…"

Sakuyamon and Phoenixmon began to glow brighter. Tai squeezed his eyes closed as he felt Phoenixmon get lighter and lighter in his arms. Gallantmon clung to Sakuyamon's vanishing frame, pressing her tighter and tighter into his chest, as if by force he could press her through cold steel and into his human arms.

Then, just as the last of their data disappeared, something warm and soft fell into Tai's arms.

He opened his eyes to find himself buried in a head of auburn colored hair. He pulled back, looking into a pair of surprised ruby colored eyes.

"S-Sora…" He said.

* * *

"Rika…" Takato managed to choke out as Rika looked back at him, violet eyes brimming with happiness. "How…how did this happen?"

"I…I don't know…" Rika said, blushing at the sudden feeling of his arms around her waist.

* * *

"We're stronger together…" Sora said, laying a head on Tai's shoulder.

* * *

"You're finished without me." Takato laughed, holding Rika closer, not bothered by the sudden contact of her skin on his

"You've always played off each other…in a way you complete each other" Renamon's voice said from somewhere in the light around them.

* * *

"Even when you were kids, we could tell." Biyomon's voice called to Tai and Sora

* * *

"It's no surprise you have such a strong connection." Guilmon said, sounding remarkably wise. "That is why we came together."

* * *

"Your love for each other bound our data together." Agumon said smugly to the astonished Tai and Sora who looked at each other with sudden realization, confusion and (somewhere deep down) happiness. "And made us stronger than we were apart!"

* * *

"L-love?" Takato stammered out. "Me?"

* * *

Sora bit her lip, shifting slightly Tai's arms. "Well...yes…"

For a moment, Tai forgot how to speak. Several times his mouth opened and shut and Sora began to feel stupid for even saying anything. Finally Tai found his voice. "Wha…me…what about Matt?"

"He broke up with me, remember? Besides…I moved on to Matt because…I…I waited so long…and when you just...just…showed up all those Christmases ago I was…I never thought you'd notice me, like that…" She looked aside, fingers fidgeting with her hair.

* * *

"Why would you think that?"

Rika looked down, blushing quickly before looking back up at Takato's confused face. "All those times…I attacked you guys; called you weak…pretty much since I was a total bitch to you…"

* * *

"I…did notice you…" Tai said, cupping her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye. "I was just…stupid; you should know that by now!"

Sora laughed shakily. "R-Really?"

"How could I not?" Tai said, feeling braver. "You're beautiful, smart, loving…"

* * *

"…Clever, brave, supportive…" Takato listed,

* * *

"…generous, caring, loyal…"

* * *

"…tough, passionate, resourceful…you've always been there for me…"

* * *

"You were there to help me when I needed it." Sora said

* * *

"You never gave up on me, you stupid Gogglehead, even though anyone else would."

* * *

"You're my best friend," Tai said

"You're my best friend," Rika said

* * *

"You're mine too," Sora replied

"You're mine too," Takato replied.

* * *

"I guess…we're both a little stupid…" Sora said, chuckling.

* * *

"At least we can be a couple of idiots…together." Takato said, hesitantly

* * *

Outside, oblivious to those inside Gallantmon and ShineGreymon who were lost in the stunning revelation that had just washed over them, a change was taking place. Gallantmon and ShineGreymon glowed brightly, casting shafts of light out into the darkness that PhantomMyotismon had cast. An egg like shield of light surrounded them, pulsing and glowing brighter than any star in the sky.

Three blocks away, Impmon looked out from his spot on the hospital balcony, shaking his head in amazement while everyone else in the room huddled around a recovering Mimi.

"You stinking apes will never fail to amaze me, will you?" he said, softly.

* * *

"Sora…"

"Takato…"

"I know this may sound stupid and foolhardy and…"

"It may be presumptuous of me to say…"

"And I don't expect you to feel the same way,"

"But I just have to let you know that…" Rika took a deep shuddering breath.

"I-mph!"

"I-mph!"

Tai and Rika barely got the first part of their declaration out before a pair of arms wrapped around their waists and a pair of lips gently pressed against theirs. Though they never got to say what had been eating them alive for years, neither of them really cared as they finally tangled their fingers in their lover's hair. They didn't care that a Demon Lord from hell was ready to pulverize them with a swing of their scythe. In that one moment, nothing else mattered. Rika and Tai were especially surprised that Takato and Sora had kissed them; they had expected a smile, nod and maybe a gentle let down, but never in a thousand years had they expected this...this feeling of warmth flooding throughout their bodies. They clung so tightly to each other, venting years of suppressed emotions that soon it became impossible to tell one from the other; as if they had merged into one being.

* * *

Outside, PhantomMyotismon was blinded by the flash of light created by both eggs shattering, revealing the Digimon inside.

TK looked up at Impmon as the little Rookie chuckled to himself. "What's so funny?"

Impmon looked back, smirk still plastered on his face. "You guys might want to see this…"

Gallantmon stood tall in the center of the pit, armor gleaming in the light it projected and a crimson cape billowing behind him. He was slimmer, more elegant than either of his other forms. His armor was pure white, capped with crimson greaves and shoulder guards. Emerald jewels glowed in the center of his chest and the tip of his helm with two red wings going back. His right hand leaned against a wicked looking poleax; red shaft, gold blade and glistening emerald counterweight opposite the blade.

ShineGreymon had vanished, replaced by a fearsome looking dragon knight. Its armor glistened in its partner's light, casting hues of red and gold off the thick, ornate plates that covered its body while a matching cape billowed in the wind. Its shoulder and knee guards resembled dragon heads, embossed in red and gold and capped with dangerous looking spikes. Its gauntlets were folded lightly on the hilt of a massive claymore while it leered at PhantomMyotismon from under its dragon shaped helmet.

"MedievalGallantmon" Ryo said, looking down at the Royal Knight in awe

"And that's…EmperorGreymon" Henry said, unable to keep the stupid smile on his face from leaking out.

* * *

The two of them shared a poignant look before turning to the dumbstruck PhantomMyotismon.

"An interesting trick…but it matters little." PhantomMyotismon finally said. "The power of the night is pure darkness! I am in my element with Seven Demon Lords behind me!" He cackled somewhat nervously. "You…are…finished! Mankind's Darkest Hour is at hand!"

MedievalGallantmon let out a four part laugh from Takato, Rika, Renamon and Guilmon, rolling their eyes. "A tad overdramatic, don't you think?"

Tai, Sora, Agumon and Biyomon nodded through EmperorGreymon "He always did have a penchant for the theatrical…" Tai smiled as Sora wrapped her fingers around his, leaning a head against his shoulder. "You ready, Gallantmon?"

Takato nodded looking over his shoulder into Rika's burning wine colored eyes. She gave his shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "Ready to go!"

"Alright…you know what they say about darkness, right?" EmperorGreymon twirled his weapon in an arc, bringing it down in front of him in a defensive stance. "It's always darkest…"

"Just before dawn…" MedievalGallantmon finished, driving his lance into the ground.

_AN: Ooh...that was kinda sugary...I listened to "Cloud Smiles" on endless repeat while writing that fluffy little exchange... Final Chapter and the Epilogue on Sunday!! If you're wondering how EmperorGreymon came to be sans any Legendary Warrior involvement, four spirits (Tai, Sora, Biyomon and Agumon) still consolidated into one being. MedievalGallantmon just seemed like Sakuyamon and Gallantmon (The staff to the poleax and a slimmer, more elegant design) Rock and Roll!  
_


	17. The End Complete: Eucatastrophe

_Chapter Sixteen: _

_The End Complete _

_Eucatastrophe _

_AN: OK DIGIDORKS!! GET READY FOR THE LONGEST CHAPTER I HAVE EVER WRITTEN!! OVER ELEVEN THOUSAND WORDS!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!! GET COMFY KIDS!!_

_Eucatastrophe (n): see CATASTROPHE: The antonym of catastrophe: The sudden turn of events from bad to good: coined by J.R.R Tolkien _

"What are they doing?"

"I can't see anything…wait, is that…no…"

"Is that one of their attacks?"

"I don't think so…"

"It's a fire attack; fire attacks are Greymon's bread and butter."

"It's a little more sinister than that…EmperorGreymon has fire attacks but they're nothing like that…"

"I thought I saw, THERE! LOOK THERE! It's…no, I was wrong…"

"ARRGH!! What's going on here?!"

"Are they fighting? Are they fighting?"

"No, they're having tea with him, you Digi-dunce!"

"You could try being a little nicer…"

"Tell you what…tell you what…I'll be nicer when you stop spewing random, inane garbage out of your stinking cake-OW!!"

Terriermon flicked Impmon in the back of the head as the cavalcade of rookies clambered around the tiny hospital window, trying to see what was happening down below. After the initial astonishment of witnessing not one, but two Biomerge/DNA Digivolutions (the first in the history of the Digital World), EmperorGreymon and MedievallGallantmon had lured PhantomMyotismon behind a series of towering skyscrapers, totally obscuring anything beyond random explosions and stray bursts of fire and electricity. Needless to say, this irritated their would-be spectators and their human partners to no end.

"Get out of my way, Gommamon!" Gatomon said, trying to push the little seal Digimon out of the way.

"Wait in line, Gatomon, I was here first!" Gommamon nudged back.

"OW!" Tentomon cried. "Veemon, get your leg off my antennae!!"

"Patamon! Hawkmon! What can you see?" Veemon called up to the two, hovering above the rest of the Rookies.

"Nothing!" Patamon called back. "They're still behind the buildings!"

Impmon groaned in frustration. "Damn…we have a ringside seat to the most significant battle in Digital history and we can't see a stinking thing!"

"Will you guys put a lid on it?!" The squabbling rookies turned around to see Izzy glaring at them from Mimi's bedside. Joe bustled around beside her, checking the gauze wrapping around her head and monitoring her steady pulse from a loose heart rate monitor he found in the hallway. Mimi had sunk into an uneasy slumber with her friends gathered around her.

Armadillomon shuffled his feet in chagrin. "He's right…we shouldn't be arguing around Mimi."

"No…" Impmon sighed. "We should be having this conversation ON THE ROOF!" Before anyone could stop them, the Digimon crawled, sprinted, flapped and dashed after Impmon, out the door and up the stairs leading to the roof.

"Patamon!" TK called after his partner. "Where are you…?"

"He's gone. They probably have a better view up..." Davis trailed off, rolling his eyes, standing up. 'Umm…is Mimi going to be alright?"

Joe looked up from her chart briefly before nodding. "Yeah. Her condition is stable…I patched up the cut and the fracture is so small she won't need a splint…"

Davis nodded. "Great, great…Umm…is there anything I can do to help?"

Joe shook his head. "Not that I can think of…why?"

Davis started shuffling towards the door. "Oh, um, I was just going to the…canteen to see if there's any food left…soo…I'll be there…if you need me…" Davis nodded and slipped out the door.

Kari and Yolei watched him go, silent for a moment before sharing a glance. "Hey, Kari, want to run to the bathroom with me?"

"Yeah!" Kari cried, a little too enthusiastically. Blushing, the two girls slipped out of the room while their boyfriend and husband shrugged.

TK stretched. "Well, I'm going to enjoy a breath of fresh air while I still can."

Ken stood up after him. "Yeah, I'll go with you. It's been a while since I…umm…breathed freshly…" They vanished before Joe could say a word.

Ryo looked after him. "I think I'll join them…it's been a while since I talked to Ken…there's a lot we should catch up on in case we get fried." He nodded to Joe and Izzy before slipping out the door.

Henry quickly followed him. "I have to go to the bathroom!"

Cody ran after Henry. "I need to practice…umm…kendo!"

"In a hospital? With one arm?" Joe wondered as he watched Cody leave. Suddenly Matt scrambled in his pocket, fumbling with his cell phone.

"Hello? Oh… Noriko! Are you okay? Where are you? What? What?? I can't hear you! I CAN'T HEAR…WHAT?!" Matt glanced over at Izzy before following Cody out the door. "I'll try you on the roof! I think I'll get better reception up there!"

Izzy watched him leave before sharing a poignant glance with Joe. "That wasn't really Noriko, was it?"

"Nope." Joe said.

"And TK, Ken and Ryo aren't really outside, are they?"

"'Fraid not."

There was a long pause as Joe checked the painkiller IV dripping into Mimi's arm.

"They're all on the roof, aren't they?"

"Yep."

* * *

TK whipped around as Cody, Henry and Matt burst through the rooftop door. "What's your excuse?"

Matt shrugged, stepping up beside his little brother. "Never mind that, what did I miss?"

"Impmon's gone." Ken said simply.

"What do you mean, gone?" Henry asked, looking between Ryo and Ken.

"He had Hawkmon drop him down to street level and then he took off around the block. He mentioned that he needed to tell Tai and Sora something about Myotismon" Ryo said, glaring intently at the chaos consuming what remained of downtown Odaiba. "You just missed him."

"What's he playing at?" Cody said, earning a series of startled glances from his friends. He had been so quiet throughout the night; they had almost forgotten he was there. "A little Rookie like that going into a Super Ultimate fight to do what?"

Henry bit his lip thoughtfully. "Impmon always has a plan…he never does anything unless he knows what he's doing."

"Yeah but…he could get hurt…" Yolei said.

Ryo snorted. "Doubtful. Impmon will never do anything dangerous without a self preserving exit route." Ryo bit his lip. "He's got a plan…he knows what he's doing." He repeated.

* * *

Crouching low behind stray cars, ducking and weaving the falling debris, Impmon crawled his way past the fallen buildings and towards the battle raging behind the buildings in front of him. Pausing only to catch his breath, he darted through the hollowed out lobby of a building and stuck his head out.

PhantomMyotismon floated high in the air, looking back and forth between MedievalGallantmon and EmperorGreymon, fidgeting with his scythe. MedievalGallantmon and EmperorGreymon perched on the lip of two demolished skyscrapers, breathing heavily with ax and sword at the ready. Without warning, EmperorGreymon leapt off the top of the building, sword held aloft behind its head, poised to strike. PhantomMyotismon spun his scythe in an arc, catching the blade with the crook of his scythe and spinning EmperorGreymon into the building that supported MedievalGallantmon. Four floors gave way under the force of impact and MedievalGallantmon leapt away to avoid being sucked down with the falling building. Faster than Impmon could blink, MedievalGallantmon was spinning Dynas in a blur of red, white and gold, raining a hail of blows on PhantomMyotismon's scythe. PhantomMyotismon struggled to keep the shaft of his scythe ahead of the blade of the ax; no matter how fast he moved, MedievalGallantmon was just one step faster. Impmon found his hands shaking and heart pounding at the force MedievalGallantmon was bringing to bear. It was hard to believe that _these_ were the children he had met all those years ago; that this beautiful and terrifying knight was made up of the Digimon and Tamers he had once dared to look down on.

Blow by blow, MedievalGallantmon drove the Demon Lord down to the ground, spinning, lunging, and arcing the ax in blindingly fast arcs of red and gold. Planting the blade of the ax into the ground, it spun around on the shaft of the pole, driving the heels of his armored boots into the crackling energy core.

_BOOM!_

A purple shockwave ripped through the ground as MedievalGallantmon flew past Impmon and slammed into a crumbling building. Dust spiraled into the air as thirteen stories came crashing down on top of the Royal Knight. Grinding his teeth together in frustration, Impmon scampered down the alleyway towards the scene of the wreckage where MedievalGallantmon was picking itself out of the wreckage, shaking its helmeted head.

Impmon vaulted the heaps of melted metal and ruined drywall, scampering up the heaps of rubbish and leaping on to MedievalGallantmon's shoulder. "Pitiful! Just pitiful! You guys are Super Ultimate and you still get wasted by this punk!"

MedievalGallantmon twisted his head around, balking at Impmon's sudden appearance. "Impmon?"

"No, it's your Fairy Godmother," Impmon said, smacking his head. "Do you listen to yourself talk sometimes?!"

"Save it, smartass!" Four voices echoed as PhantomMyotismon recovered from the attack, standing up, holding his crackling chest in pain. "I take it you have some reason to intrude on our peace of minds?"

Impmon chuckled, gripping one crimson helmet wing. "Did you just get lucky or is this whole "Beyond Mega" thing giving you greater than normal perception?" Impmon gestured towards the reeling PhantomMyotismon. "Looks like his programming skills aren't quite up to par. I for one wouldn't have placed the source of my power in a huge crackling orb exposed to whoever cares to see it."

MedievalGallantmon slowly nodded its head. "Soo…what you're saying is the Crests are in the core?"

Impmon shuffled nervously. "Well…yeah."

"So all we have to do is crack the core and we're home free?"

"Well…" But MedievalGallantmon wasn't listening. It cupped its hands around the front of the helmet.

"EMPERORGREYMON!!" A small building burst open as EmperorGreymon cleaved it in half with the tip of its sword and burst through the wreckage to PhantomMyotismon's shock. "GO FOR THE ORB!!"

"WAIT!!" Impmon panicked. "I didn't finish!"

"Okay Sora!" Tai said, glancing into amber eyes over his shoulder burning with determination. "Let's wrap this up!" EmperorGreymon raised its behemoth blade, pointing the tip at PhantomMyotismon's exposed core. "Now then…defend yourself!"

PhantomMyotismon saw the blade coming down and easily raised his scythe to parry the blow. This one was slower than MedievalGallantmon, so taking care of the lumbering knight shouldn't be a prob-

_KERRRANG!! CRACK!_

PhantomMyotismon fell back, arms trembling from the force that collided with his scythe. His empty eyes flashed in anger as his arms fell to his sides, each clutching a half of what had once been his weapon. He looked back and forth between the shattered staff and EmperorGreymon as it shouldered the colossal weapon, glaring back at him from under its armored hood.

"I said _DEFEND YOURSELF!" _PhantomMyotismon leapt sideways as the blade drove down, gouging a flaming chunk of earth loose from the ground. Catching the concrete slab on the flat of its blade, EmperorGreymon flipped it like a pancake, sending it spinning towards the tottering Demon Lord. PhantomMyotismon divided the slab with a swipe of his severed scythe. Two pieces fell away, parting like a curtain to reveal the tip of a sword driving forward towards his chest.

For some strange reason that Tai couldn't fathom, PhantomMyotismon was still grinning, flashing jagged yellow fangs as EmperorGreymon pressed his weapon forward. Something in his heart twitched horribly and he felt Sora tense up behind him. As the glistening diamond tip drew closer and closer Tai had a sudden swell of panic that made him want to draw his arm back. But before he could, a thick, black chain wrapped itself around the blade and pulled them in.

"No…" MedievalGallantmon moaned, watching the familiar black chain wind itself around EmperorGreymon's blade. The massive dragon knight lurched as the weapon was drawn in tighter and tighter. EmperorGreymon planted its feet on the ground, pulling the chain out yard by yard as PhantomMyotismon lurched and spasmed like a freakish puppet on a string. The chain snagged and with one almighty lurch a rank, matted, mangy claw emerged.

Takato felt Rika freeze up beside him and he was surprised to see the fear and anger flashing across her violet eyes. "What? What is it?"

She gritted her teeth. "It's Belphamon."

"What?!" He looked back through MedievalGallantmon's eyes to see EmperorGreymon dragging an arm, shoulder and head of a horned beast, teeth bared in…wait. Takato cocked MedievalGallantmon's head in confusion as the face of Belphamon emerged. The face that once snarled in rage was twisted into a frozen grotesque caricature of anger, like the face of a doll or a-

"Puppet." Rika breathed. "It's a puppet."

The muscular Belphamon that they had faced earlier that night was replaced by a crude puppet bearing only a slight resemblance to the Demon Lord of Wrath. Its frame appeared to be made of some kind of crude wood covered in matted fur. Five glowing purple strings connected the crackling orb to each of the puppet's limbs as well as its head. PhantomMyotismon had gone limp in the air behind the puppet.

"That's what I was afraid of…" Impmon growled. "The crests are still imprinted with an afterimage of their digital hosts…obviously the memory isn't strong enough," he nodded at the crude puppet figure. "But they're still formidable…they're a defense program so they'll protect the Phantom to they're dying breath…and we need those Crests."

"Let me take a shot in the dark…" MedievalGallantmon turned its head to see EmperorGreymon standing beside it. "We have to beat these puppet Demon Lords in order to get those Crests, am I right?"

"Yep…well good luck with that!" Impmon said jovially, leaping off MedievalGallantmon.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Getting the Crests is up to you," Impmon called over his shoulder, hurrying back towards the hospital. "Putting them away is up to me!"

"So where are you going?"

"Just getting a few essentials we'll need for the party! Right now my only advice for you is to DUCK!"

Guilmon and Renamon took over as their Tamers puzzled over the meaning of Impmon's cryptic warning, coiling their legs, narrowly avoiding the sweep of Puppet Belphamon's Lampranthus chain. EmperorGreymon coolly raised its sword, ricocheting the chain back to the lurching puppet Lord who was sent spinning around in its own strings, tangling it up.

"I can't believe this…" EmperorGreymon mumbled. "We just beat these guys!"

"Yeah…looks like…we'll have to fight all over again!" MedievalGallantmon said, confidently.

EmperorGreymon laughed. "I guess we will…wait, I think I've heard that line before…was it from, like a movie?"

"No…" Takato turned to Rika inside MedievalGallantmon. "Just a cartoon I used to watch…"

"Well then…" EmperorGreymon said, shouldering his blade. "Let's walk all over this guy!"

* * *

"What's taking him so long?" Ryo bit his lip, tapping his foot thoughtfully while watching what he could see of the battle.

"He shouldn't have just left like that!" Henry growled. "He could get killed and I don't want to explain to Ai and Mako why he got fried!"

"Um…" TK looked blankly at him

"I'll tell you later…" Henry said as a familiar red glove hoisted a familiar devil Digimon over the ledge.

"Impmon!" Gatomon cried.

"Where the hell-" Henry began before being cut off by Impmon

"Can't talk! Need blood!" he cried, bursting past them down into the hospital. The DigiDestined shared a confused look before rushing after him. They scrambled down the stairs, human and Digimon alike, wary that a dark bloodlust had awoken within the little demon.

They found him in a refrigerator in the first door they looked in, rummaging through its contents. He discarded bits of food, drinks and random bodily fluid samples until he found what he was looking for; pouches of blood.

"What's happening?" Kari whispered, clinging on to TK's shoulder.

"Oh my God!" Davis squealed." Myotismon turned Impmon into a vampire too! HE WANTS TO DRINK OUR BLOOD!!" Ryo lashed out, clobbering Davis over the back of the head. "Sorry…"

"SAKE!!" Impmon ran at the group and they instinctively drew back at the wild look in his eye.

"Umm…excuse me?" Matt said, scratching his head.

"I…need…SAKE!!" Impmon said frantically.

"I think you need to calm down, little buddy…" Davis said, reaching a hand out to the little Digimon.

Impmon batted his hand away, grabbing Davis by the front of his shirt and pulling him down to his level. "Listen to me…you incredibly…ignorant…_assholes_!" he turned his attention to the Digidestined. "It's up to us…to create the seal that will lock these Demon Lords away for good. And for said seal…I…need…SAKE!!"

Davis twisted in Impmon's grip to face his friends. "Get the little mon some sake, for the love of God!"

"And rice paper!" The humans turned around to see Impmon. "I need sake, rice paper, and…um… metal spikes…and a laptop!!"

"You want us to pick up dinner while we're at it?" Gatomon said, sarcastically. "Where are we supposed to find these things?"

"Listen…" Impmon said softly. "The blood writes the code on the rice paper, the sake ignites the finished scroll creating a field of energy, conducting between a octagram of metal spikes connected to the Dark Crests that should be strong enough link up with the laptop to punch open a gate into the darkest corner of the Digital world where they'll drown in darkness for all eternity!!" Impmon finished, taking a deep breath. "Questions?"

"Umm…" Impmon was met with blank stares from everyone.

"Just be good little monkeys and DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD!!"

"Alright, alright!"

"I need four groups! Split up and scour the city until you find them! Meet me back here when you have them all! Let's go, go GO!!"

* * *

"Final Crest!"

PuppetBelphamon moaned in despair, spinning around on its strings as a green bolt of energy arced between the tips of the Royal Knight's ax and ripped through its frail frame. He vanished in a burst of data, leaving behind the prize they were fighting for; the Crest of Sloth.

"Got it!" EmperorGreymon lunged forward and snagged the charred crest on the point of its sword, twirling it around expertly and tossing it to MedievalGallantmon.

"One down!" it cried, triumphantly. "You drag them out and toss them to me! We'll fight together!"

"Alright!" EmperorGreymon once again lunged for the Demon Lord, stopping short as a pair of massive jaws stretched out and snared the blade.

"Woah!" EmperorGreymon cried. "We got a big one!!" With its free hand it grabbed the bottom jaw and using the blade as leverage, pried the jaws open and pulled the blade out. With one move, it drove the blade through the jaws and dragged PuppetLeviamon out into the open. The twisted, doll-like features squirmed and in turn, PhantomMyotismon lurched and squirmed. With an almighty heave, EmperorGreymon flipped the giant crocodile into the air. The blade split down the center, gathering a flaming burst of power that he aimed at the flailing puppet.

"Dragonfire Crossbow!!" The blast loosed forth, screaming through the inky black night like the absent sun and setting the crude puppet ablaze. When the fire died, a lone pendant on the end of a chain fell to the earth, only to be stopped at the end of MedievalGallantmon's ax.

"Two down…" it summed up.

"Six to go." EmperorGreymon said grimly, lunging for another Crest.

* * *

"Found it!"

"That's ale."

"Oh…found it!"

"Tequila, senorita."

"Oh…found it!"

Ken sighed as once again, Yolei failed to procure the right bottle. "That's malt whisky, hon."

"Oh…" She squinted as she struggled to read the label in the dim light of the liquor store. "Huh…so it is…"

Ryo stepped past her, grabbing the highest bottle on the highest shelf, blowing the dust off and reading the label in satisfaction. "Kabuto Sake…" he grinned. "Some of the finest…we'll have to save some for when this is all over." He flipped open his phone. "I got the sake, how are you coming Davis?"

* * *

"We're coming along fine!" he called, prying loose another rail tie from the train track and tossing it to Henry who stowed them in Cody's bag. "We got the metal spiky things we need, Impmon!"

* * *

Impmon flipped the phone closed, nodding to himself and blocking out the struggle taking place behind him.

"Give it here, Izzy!!" Matt cried

"No!"

"Let go, you egghead!"

"But…but…"

"We need it, Izzy!"

"Why?!"

"I told you…your laptop is and instrumental part in a demonic ritual!"

"I heard you the first time! Fire?! Metal Spikes?! Blood?! Just what the hell are you guys doin-HEY!! GIVEITBACKGIVEITBACKBIVEITBACK GIVEIT-_THUNK_!!"

Matt stepped through the door, slamming it in the genius' face and handed the yellow Pineapple laptop to Impmon. "Got it…"

Impmon nodded. "Ten-four." He spoke into the phone. "What's the status, Takaishi's?"

* * *

"Hold on!" TK groaned into her cell phone, turning back to Kari who was perusing the stationary store. "Kari, what's keeping you?!"

Kari held up two cards. "What do you think? Which one says "I got married by a shotgun wielding demon from hell?"

"WHAT?!"

"I wanted to send out wedding announcements!"

"Sweetie now's not the best time…"

"Just pick one!"

"HEY!!" Impmon's voice crackled over the phone. "ARE YOU TWO PICKING UP WEDDING INVITATIONS?!"

"Well…um…"

"TK…tell your blushing bride...that she has five minutes...exactly five minutes to return with the rice paper or I will light a fire so _far _up your ass THAT _MY_ SMOKE WILL COME OUT _YOUR_ MOUTH!!" _Click_

TK turned back to Kari, who was waving the cards again. "The blue one."

* * *

MedievalGallantmon blocked PuppetBarbamon's staff attack to one side while EmperorGreymon drew PuppetDaemon's fiery blows, grinding its blade against PuppetDaemon's claws. The Royal Knight was taking a beating from the crafty puppet that had all the power of the normal Barbamon but with a twisted, jerky, sporadic style of a puppet. Barbamon would strike with a staff blow and no sooner than MedievalGallantmon had parried the blow, the limp frame would whip around and strike the unprotected flank. EmperorGreymon was beginning to feel the strain as well, trying to keep up with Daemon's berserker like battle tactics.

Tai threw himself left, barely dodging the beast's flailing claws. "Arrgh…there's just no stopping this guy!"

Sora bit her lip, twisting away to dodge a flame attack. "Agumon! Biyomon!"

"Yes, Sora?" Their twin voices echoed around them.

"What other attacks do we have?"

"Hmmmmm…we already used the Dragonfire Crossbow…and anyway, that'll take too long to set up again…try this one!"

Sora and Tai nodded as the information flooded their minds. "Ooh…I like the sound of that…"

EmperorGreymon leapt back, driving the hilt of the blade into the ground. "GALLANTMON!! JUMP!!" MedievalGallantmon knocked Barbamon into the concrete and then flipped into the air as EmperorGreymon readied the attack. "PYRO DRAGONS!!" Seven flaming dragons shot through the ground, three winding around Barbamon and four around Daemon as they consumed the Demon Lords. There was a bellow of rage and a scream on agony, and they were gone once again.

"Damn." MedievalGallantmon panted. "These guys are tough…"

"Even as puppets…" EmperorGreymon wheezed. "They're tougher than they look…"

Though their strength had increased exponentially, the long, arduous battle was beginning to take its toll on the humans who made up half of EmperorGreymon and MedievalGallantmon. Tai and Sora glistened with sweat as they raised the Dragon Soul Sword to ward off yet another attack. Their hair matted and shoulders burning with exertion, they pressed on by sheer force of will and the comfort that they weren't fighting alone. Takato and Rika were having an even harder time. Though they had Biomerged before and knew the ins and outs of interacting with their partners, they hadn't logged in time on the soccer fields and tennis courts like Tai and Sora had. They were panting, heaving and groaning in pain as their tender, unused muscles were stretched past their limits. Not only that, but the high speed at which MedievalGallantmon needed to execute his attacks was more of a burden than the strength Tai and Sora needed to swing EmperorGreymon's sword. As if that weren't enough, their fight was taking them closer and closer to the hospital where their friends were staying.

"Come on…" Takato huffed. "We can do this…"

"Takato…" Rika struggled to moan between gasps of pain. "I…I don't know if I-"

"Save your breath…" he said, gently squeezing her hand. "We have to keep going…we have to keep going…"

"Where the hell is Impmon?!" EmperorGreymon called over. "The little coward ran away! We could really use Beelzemon right now!!" As if heeding the dragon knight's words, a long silver shotgun poked its way out of the orb in Myotismon's stomach and belched a fiery round straight at EmperorGreymon.

"You had to say it…" Rika heaved as yet another Pupppet Demon Lord emerged, two barrels crossed over its chest. "Stupid…Tai…"

* * *

"Laptop?"

"Check." Matt said, holding the stolen computer in one hand, As the DigiDestined ran after Impmon up flight after flight of stairs, closer and closer to the center of the battle at the top of a hotel roof. When the battle had started moving closer to the hospital, Joe and Izzy transported Mimi to a hotel, a few blocks away. After ensuring their friends were okay (this was purely out of courtesy since they had taken the largest, most comfortable suite) they had followed Impmon, eager to finish the battle.

"Sake?" Impmon called back.

"Yeah, we should have enough!" Ken answered.

"Rice Paper?"

"Yeah…_finally_" TK said, earning a slap on the head from his wife

"Right…we got the blood…Spikes?"

'Got em!" Davis said. "All seven!"

Impmon skidded to a stop before rounding on Davis. "SEVEN??"

Davis blanched. "Uh…I can tell by that lovely scowl on your face that I screwed up…"

"Seven Demon Crests plus MYOTISMON!!" Impmon scowled. "We're one short of the octogram we need!! ARRGH!"

"We can go back!" Cody said. "We can get one more!"

"No time!" Impmon said, agitated. "The SuperUltimate Friends will have finished by then! We need to have the gate open by the time they're done so they can trap the Demon Lords." He sighed, "We'll just have to improvise…Let's go!"

The door had been blown off its hinges by the time they got to the top of the building. Bursting out into the cold night air, they entered a hellish landscape that had once been Tokyo. Buildings lay in ruin, bursting into flames while five figures dotted the night sky.

PhantomMyotismon was still jerking about in the air, connected to two Puppets in the forms of Lucemon (who challenged MedievalGallantmon) and Lilithmon (Who was trying to fight EmperorGreymon). They noticed that the Demon Lord no longer looked as he did when they last saw him. The twisted form that he had hacked had become twisted itself, as fragments of the bony body broke off, swirling around the purple orb as it manipulated the other two Demon Lords.

"Stop gawking and help me out!" Impmon had slit open a pouch of blood and began drawing a huge circle on the ground, breaking the line eight times and driving seven spikes in the gaps he had left. "Get me a DigiPort open!"

Since Izzy was tending Mimi, Ken snapped into action opening the laptop and running Izzy's DigiPort Locator Program. "The nearest port opens on the south plain of Server!"

"Fine, fine." Impmon muttered. "The gate is going to bypass the initial coding of the DigiWorld and open a trapdoor into our prison." Impmon had rolled out the scroll of rice paper in the middle of the circle and soaked his fingertips in blood. With firm, well practiced strokes he quickly started writing out a series of straight lines and circles.

"Is that some kind of language?" Yolei asked. "Wait..." she studied the lines and circles, coming to a realization. "That's binary!"

"Yep." Impmon answered. "Has to be to write a firewall strong enough to keep these bad boys in." Impmon glanced nervously up at the battle above him. "I only hope they can keep their end of the bargin…"

* * *

"God, I thought the _real _Lilithmon was trashy but this is just sad…" MedievalGallantmon commented, looking at the crudely painted face and stuffed, doll like figure. The puppet's wooden eyebrows turned inwards as she whipped the Nazar Nail around to strike.

"This is getting really old, really fast." EmperorGreymon muttered, sidestepping the Demon Lord's punch and smacking him across the back of the head.

"Let's end this." MedievalGallantmon said, spinning Lilithmon away on her strings, crashing into Lucemon and tangling up in his.

"Together!" EmperorGreymon cried, raising the blade.

"Together…" MedievalGallantmon agreed

Lilithmon and Lucemon's painted faces shared a look that attempted to be panic as they frantically attempted to untangle themselves.

"Rage of Wyvern!" MedievalGallantmon cried, releasing a dragon shaped blast of energy soaring through the sky.

"Pyro Dragons!" EmperorGreymon's dragons twisted around MedievalGallantmon's blast, forming a monstrous, flaming beast that surged down the street at the trembling Demon Lord Puppets. Two wooden jaws fell open in silent screams of horror as the dragon slammed his jaws down with a deafening explosion and a flash of flame.

* * *

"Yes!" Impmon crowed, taking a moment to look up from his code. "HAHA! Oh man I've been waiting a long time to see those two get roasted like that!!"

The DigiDestined stared in slack-jawed shock between the conflagration that devoured the Demon Lords and the ones who cast it, glancing back and forth wordlessly like they were watching a tennis match.

"How did they even do that?" TK whispered.

"This is just…amazing…" Kari sighed.

"You said it." Matt said, glistening eyes staring at EmperorGreymon. "Those two are amazing." TK smiled, knowing his brother wasn't talking about the Digimon. A clatter of metal on concrete announced the arrival of MedievalGallantmon as the Royal Knight leapt lightly on the roof. "Special Delivery!" it called, throwing the Crests up in the air

Impmon snapped the scroll closed with a flick of his wrist, leaping into the air to catch the tags. "What about Darkness?"

"Don't worry…we have a plan…" MedievalGallantmon said cheekily, turning to leap off the building. "Get the seal ready to go and you'll have your Crest."

"Guys, we don't have everything we need…" Impmon said.

MedievalGallantmon froze in mid leap, coming back to earth and looking at Impmon incredulously. "Come again?"

"Yeah, some IDIOT," he growled, looking at Davis. "Dropped the ball big time. We're short a spike."

"Can't you just leave it out?"

"Yeah…if you want this gate to consume everything and everyone in the world."

MedievalGallantmon tapped the pole of Dynas on the ground thoughtfully. Almost at the same time Takato turned to Rika inside the armored body. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Rika studied his gaze for a moment before a glint of understanding crossed her eyes. "Really?" Takato nodded. "You think it'll work?" He nodded again. "Well…let's let Tai and Sora there's been a change of plans…"

MedievalGallantmon nodded his head. "We have a plan. Just do your thing and let us do ours…" the knight leapt into the sky where EmperorGreymon was waiting.

"Uhh guys…" Ken said. "Don't look now, but old Fangface is back!"

* * *

The orb was all that was left of PhantomMyotismon, floating like a purple sun in the night sky. Slowly the orb shrank, getting smaller and smaller until it could no longer contain Myotismon. The polished, winged Myotismon floated in midair, brushing off his suit and looking down at himself in shock.

"No…" he moaned, gripping his hair in distress. "They beat the puppets…how…I programmed them myself…this can't be happening…No…no, no, no, no NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

"Aww…what's the matter?" The four voices of EmperorGreymon sneered. "Did we break your dolls?"

"You think you've won?" Myotismon said, a manic glint in his eye. "No, it's not over…you haven't won yet….no…no…n-n-n-not b-b-by a lONgSHHHHHOT." Myotismon's hand flew to his mouth, eyes wide.

"Oh goody." Sora remarked. "The freaky voice is back; my favorite."

"He's breaking up! His power is weakening!!" MedievalGallantmon cried in triumph. "Look!" EmperorGreymon followed the armored hand of MedievalGallantmon to the horizon that was starting to tint yellow. "Here comes the sun!"

Tai would remember that sunrise for the rest of his life. Years from now, every once and a while he would get up early, grab his coat and clamber on to the roof of his building just to see if every sunrise could stop his heart and catch his breath in his chest the same way that sunrise did. Wherever he was, whether it was at home in Tokyo, on vacation with his family in Hawaii or in Venice on his honeymoon or on top of the tallest mountain in the Digital World, he was disappointed. The sunrise never looked so good again.

The unnatural, inky black night slowly turned dark blue and then teal. The stars that had been banished from the sky returned one last time as traces of yellow, pink and purple lit up the clouds that rolled in from offshore, casting a soft light that reflected on the rolling waves in the harbor. And through the eyes of his partner, he could stare straight into the sun and not be afraid. It filled the sky, driving every shadow into the shady corners and dark alleys. Transfixed by the rising sun, he glanced over his shoulder, wondering if Sora saw what he did. One glance at her eyes, shimmering with emotion told him all he needed to know.

"Alright!" MedievalGallantmon called over. "Do your thing!" He flipped over in midair, landing beside the circle on the rooftop and driving the Dynas into the gap where the eighth spike should have been

"Right." Tai nodded at Sora who smiled back. Their arms raised their weapon over their heads, aiming it straight at the blinded Demon Lord. "Here we go!"

The sun caught their armor, illuminating it with a light that rivaled its own. To their friends below, it looked as if EmperorGreymon was…no, he _was _on fire. Orange and yellow flames consumed the dragon knight but it seemed as if it only made EmperorGreymon stronger. Fire ran along the sword, concentrating at the blade.

Then they struck. Like a bolt of lightning they cut across the sky and slammed the flaming weapon into Myotismon's stomach. They twisted away, bringing it down on his back, sliding the edge along the ridge of his spine. Faster than the eye could follow, they unleashed a fiery barrage of sword strokes all around Myotismon's unprotected frame. The Demon Lord raised his arms in a futile attempt to ward off their blows but by the time he blocked an angle, they were striking another and another and another. Finally, EmperorGreymon leapt high into air, sun shining behind their blade.

"RYUUGONKEN!! (_Dragon Soul Sword)" _The sword burst into flames"NOW! GO TO HELL!!"

A blast of white hot energy jetted from the tip of the blade, slamming into the reeling Myotismon and sending him spinning towards Impmon's seal. EmperorGreymon threw their sword, spinning through the air and skewering Myotismon in the head. With a burst of speed, EmperorGreymon grabbed the doomed Demon Lord and drove him down onto the tip of MedievalGallantmon's poleax, sliding him down until he rested on the blade, his crest tied to the weapon as the others were to the rail spikes.

"And this time…" EmperorGreymon snarled, looking into Myotismon's cold, unfeeling eyes. "Don't…come…back…."

"Now, Impmon!" MedievalGallantmon cried.

"You got it!" Impmon said, looking over at Davis who was crouched low over the laptop, digivice out. "You ready lamebrain?"

"Let's go!" Davis cried, holding out his digivice to the screen. "Digiport OPEN!" At the same moment, Impmon hurled the code scroll into the center of the circle.

"BADA BOOM!" he flung a pint sized fireball at the sake soaked scroll. Suddenly the circle erupted in a flash of purple light. Strange symbols etched themselves in the concrete and as if by magic, the cold stone turned gold, like a crude iron gate, with a crack running down the middle.

"Get back; it's opening!"

Sure enough, the gate opened and as soon as it did a gale ripped out of it, ripping the Crests off their chains and held them over the abyss that swirled below. In the gate, an inky black nothingness sucked even the light of the new dawn was sucked in, darkening the skies once again. Suddenly, the Crest of Wrath exploded in midair and Daemon's ugly, twisted form appeared.

"NOOOOO!!" The Lord of Wrath bellowed, digging his claws into the rooftop. "DAEMON…CANNOT…DIE!!" But his struggle was in vain; as soon as his feet touched the lip of the gate, he burst into a cloud of data which got sucked into the pit.

The Crest of Envy was the next to go, producing Leviamon's behemoth figure comically swimming against the pull of the gate. "I'LL GET YOU SSSSSTUPID HUMANSSSSSS FOR THISSSSSS!! YOU'LL SSSSSSSSSEE!!"

"Shut you trap, you sssssssstupid assssssssss…" Ryo hissed as Leviamon was crunched into a stream of meaningless data.

The Crest of Sloth burst open and for some reason, Belphamon didn't try to fight as hard as the others, only smiling and saying "SLEEP!" before falling into the abyss.

Barbamon angrily swung his staff into the concrete as the pull of the gate tried to draw him in. "ARRRGH!! How could we have lost?! Our plan was FLAWLESS!! I KNOW: I DEVISED IT MYSELF!!"

"And therein lies your problem." MedievalGallantmon said, nudging the staff with an armored boot and sending the Lord of Greed into the void.

The Crest of Pride dissipated and almost immediately Lucemon started swinging at EmperorGreymon with one hand and clinging on to the roof with the other. "YOU!!" He cried accusingly, pointing a figure at Impmon. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!! I SWEAR WHEN I GET OUT OF HELL-"

"Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera…" Impmon rolled his eyes, jumping on Lucemon's fingers. With a howl of pain, Lucemon flew backwards into nothingness, the same vengeful look on his face.

The Crest of Gluttony produced a snarling, evil looking Beelzemon who glared at Impmon with an evil look in his eye. "YOU LITTLE RUNT!!" Everyone except Impmon balked at the Demon Lord's guttural tone. "YOU SYMPATHETIC LITTLE PEST!! YOU THINK YOU KILLED ME BUT YOU'RE _DEAD WRONG!!"_ The Beelzemon threw his head back and laughed. "You'll never kill me…I'll always be right _here…_" he said, touching his heart before soaring back into the nothingness and was destroyed.

"Who was that?" Davis asked Impmon who looked miles away.

"Someone I used to know…" Impmon muttered, looking away.

Lilithmon sprung forth from the Crest of Lust, howling, and screaming with rage, pretty features screwed up and tearstained. "You…" She glared EmprorGreymon and Tai felt Sora dig her nails into his shoulder. "Don't think I don't see you in there, my dear…" she pulled a horrible smile. "I don't think you'll be rid of me for quite some time…the one thought that will keep me warm all those lonely nights in hell is that I'll see you in your nightmares…" She grinned in genuine pleasure, before turning to MedievalGallantmon. "Both of you…" with that, she drifted into hell, smile plastered on her face.

"She gives herself too much credit." Sora said. "Like I was that scared…" Tai felt her repress a shudder and gently squeezed her hand. "Thanks…"

Last of all was Myotismon, whose Demon Lord exterior was stripped away, leaving the Myotismon that first appeared to Tai in the Digital World all those years ago. His chest was still impaled on Dynas and the Ryuugonken neatly divided his face. His cold blue eyes looked up at EmperorGreymon and half his mouth curled up in a smile.

"I'll be back." He said.

"We'll be waiting." EmperorGreymon nodded. Myotismon slipped through gate looking back at his conquerors before the gate slammed shut. MedievalGallantmon yanked Dynas out of the ground and the rooftop went back to normal. The sun cut through the darkness for the last time that day, shining over the ruined city.

Sora felt fresh air on her skin and the sun blasting bright in her face as her human feet touched ground again for the first time in hours. She stumbled forward, suddenly missing Phoenixmon's natural grace and fell against the first thing she saw. Tai caught her in his arms, stumbling back himself and catching her gaze as she looked up at him.

"You just can't stay out of my arms, can you?" Tai said weakly smiling.

Sora smiled back, lightly clinging to the fabric of his jacket. "No, I guess I can't." Before Tai could respond she grabbed the back of his bushy hair and pressed her lips against his. Time seemed to stop for the two of them as they had their first "real" kiss (the first one had been Digital), neither of them paying attention to Biyomon picking up the exhausted Koromon, rocking him to sleep and smiling at her partner or Takato and Rika who were firmly attached at the mouth or Yolei and Davis who were squealing girlishly that their mentors were finally together or the others glancing between Tai and Sora and Matt wondering when he was going to kick Tai's ass for making out with his girlfriend.

"Umm…Matt…" TK said, looking at his brother who was watching the sunrise with his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah?" Matt answered.

"Uhhh…Tai and Sora are…kinda making out right now."

"Yeah, I saw that." Matt said, nonchalantly.

"…and you're okay with this?" TK asked, skeptically.

"Yeah, I am." Matt said with a small smile.

"Oh…okay…" TK said. "Just to be sure…"

"We broke up." Matt replied, anticipating his brother's question. TK nodded with an "Oh…"

"Are Takato and Rika still making out?" Henry asked Ryo.

"Yeah…they're not too good at it either," Ryo remarked with a grimace. "It's like watching two leeches trying to eat each a peach…"

"Hm…" Henry muttered, thoughtfully. "Maybe now would be a good talk to him about-"

"About your secret relationship with Jeri?" Ryo cut him off. "He knows."

"WHAT?!"

"Everyone knows."

"But…how?" Henry mumbled dumbly.

"Terriermon told Renamon told Guilmon told Rika told Takato told us." Ryo said simply, while Terriermon frantically shook his head, holding a finger to his lips.

"Terriermon…" Henry growled. "Of course…"

"HEY!" Ryo cried, cupping his hands over his mouth. "GET A ROOM BEFORE THIS GETS ANY MORE ROMANTIC!!" He laughed when Takato and Rika responded with identical hand gestures. This seemed to jerk the new couples out of their own little worlds as Tai pulled Sora to her feet.

"Woah…" In the light, the damage to the city was clearer. Nearly half of Odaiba was either destroyed or on fire and there was still no sign of any human life. "They really did a number on this place…"

"You said it…I don't even want to know what it's going to take to rebuild here…" Sora mumbled.

"_We_ rebuilt it." Takato said. "Took us a year and a half but…we did it. Good as new."

"If we could do it, you can too." Rika said, sagely.

Tai turned to Rika, catching her gaze again as he did in the tunnels beneath the streets almost twelve hours ago. There was again, a silent exchange between them, taking count of what they had accomplished and what had to be done. Twelve hours ago, they had stood before each other as strangers united by a common goal but through everything they had been through they had grown to understand each other. Rika had no doubt in her mind that Tai was up to the task of rebuilding Tokyo.

"So, what now?" Tai asked Rika

"Now…now is when you say goodbye." The booming, echoing voice nearly gave Tai a heart attack. He slowly turned around to come face to nose with a Digimon he never thought he'd see again.

A mighty blue dragon, wrapped in chains rested his mammoth chin on the lip of the building, his long, snaking body trailing up into the sky and his eyes looking fondly at Tai as a father might look at his favorite son. Behind him, a majestic orange and yellow bird perched on the top of an office building, regarding the humans and their partners with a mix of disgust, fear and just the smallest smidge of respect.

"Azulongmon." Tai acknowledged the Sovereign that he had sacrificed his crest to free.

"Tai." Azulongmon spoke with such pride and affection in his voice that Tai felt a hot blush creep up his cheeks. "It's good to see you," His emerald eyes traveled along the line of Digidestined. "All of you." A harsh squawk reverberated across the empty streets as the other Digimon let out a scowl of discontent.

"You will have to excuse Zhuqiaomon's beahvior," Azulongmon mentioned, nodding at the bird behind him. "He is not known for love of humans." Zhuqiaomon let out another bitter screech before snapping his beak shut and glaring at the Digidestined with beady, unfriendly eyes.

Davis leaned over to Henry. "What did you guys do to get on _his _bad side?"

"We were human."

"Err…how long have you two been floating there?" Takato asked.

"Too long, I think." Zhuqiaomon spoke, rolling his eyes at the mortified look that came over the young Tamers' faces."Impmon…is it done?"

Impmon nodded, bowing slightly. "Yes, Lord Zhuqiaomon, it is done."

Azulongmon sighed. "I was afraid you would say that…I never like exercising my power to destroy a Digimon completely. I like to believe that anyone can change, if given the chance."

"It had to be done." Zhuqiaomon said. "You can't be soft or weak when dealing with scum like Myotismon; I thought you would have learned that lesson when your precious Lucemon tried to destroy you. As much as it pains me to say it," he took a deep breath. "You…" he addressed the Digimon. "And your human pets…aren't _totally _pathetic." He shuffled his feathers.

"Woah, woah woah!" Matt stepped forward angrily. "We nearly destroy _our _city by cleaning up _your _mess and the best you can say is that we're not _TOTALLY _pathetic?!"

"Yeah, well coming from Zhuqiaomon, that's like a candy coated kiss." Rika said

"Your commitment to your Digimon and each other is why, I knew in my heart, that Lucemon was wrong when he came to me and said that humans couldn't be trusted." Azulongmon said, gravely. "I knew that while humans have the potential to be the most greedy, vengeful, proud creatures on the planet…" Zhuqiaomon snorted something that sounded like "Damn right". "You always have a way to set things right again. And for that, you have our," _Squawk _"_OUR _profound gratitude."

"Umm…don't mention it." Tai said lamely. Sora tried to cover a laugh by burying her face in his shirt.

Azulongmon smiled. "Tai and Sora." He nodded as if agreeing with something. "If you don't mind me saying, it's about time." Tai and Sora flushed crimson as their friends sniggered behind them.

"All right, all right." Zhuqiaomon growled. "That's enough of that. Let's just get out of here. We've meddled enough in the affairs of this world."

"All right, keep your feathers on." Azulongmon sighed. "He's always been like this. He gets damn near insufferable at times…"

* * *

"Do you think Myotismon is going to come back?"

Tai, Sora, Rika and Takato had wandered away from the others who were deep in conversation, laughing, hugging and generally saying long goodbyes. To everyone's surprise, Mimi staggered up the stairs, supported by Izzy and Joe on either side of her. After a few words between the group as a whole, the four of them had slipped away to have a few words to themselves.

Rika and Takato shared a look, pondering Tai's question. "I don't think it's impossible…but it's not likely to happen." Takato said, decisively.

"I don't totally understand everything that Impmon did…but I think that was some pretty powerful mojo he threw down there." Rika said. "_And _they were reduced to data before they were sealed as opposed to being sealed whole, like last time."

"I think that was the last time you'll see feather or fang from him."

"That's a relief…" Tai sighed. "I'm kinda wondering when the last time was that I actually led a _normal _life where my biggest problems were soccer practice and…" Tai trailed off, coughing as he gave Sora's hand a small squeeze.

Sora frowned as a fleeting, troubled look crossed Tai's gaze. Takato picked up on this and absently led Rika away a little bit to give them time to themselves. As soon as the Tamers were out of earshot Sora turned to Tai, only asking, "Why?" Tai bit his lip, nervously running a thumb over her knuckles and looked over her shoulder, trying to avoid her gaze. Sora firmly reached a free hand up to tilt his face so he had no choice but to look her in the eye.

"Tai…"

"I…I was scared."

Sora unconsciously drew back a little, staring at Tai with a dumbstruck expression. "Scared?"

Tai's face attempted to smile, but only managed a halfhearted grin. "It happens, you know. I'm not made of stone."

"Yeah, but…you're you." She said. "You squashed four Dark Masters and stopped a thermonuclear warhead from destroying the city before your thirteenth birthday." Tai shuffled awkwardly. "I mean…you have the Crest of _Courage _for the love of God!"

"It's easy…to be brave when all you have to lose is your life." Tai finally said, inwardly wincing, wondering why he had said that.

"Tai-"

"I was…so scared of scaring you away." Tai mumbled. "I was scared that if you didn't feel the same way-"

"But I did!" Sora said, empathetically. "I did, Tai!"

"But if you didn't," Tai persisted. "I couldn't stand the thought of anything, _anything _straining our relationship…by the time I had found the courage to ask you-" He stopped abruptly, looking worriedly at Sora who face had crumpled. "Sora, what's wrong? What is it?"

"This is all my fault. Here I was thinking that you were the dumb one…but…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I…I…when you came up to me…that Christmas when we were kids…and you were saying all these things…I was so confused and…Matt was such a good friend at the time that I…I wanted to see how you reacted…I was looking for any sign you could have felt the same way…" Sora said, wiping tears from her eyes. "It was just so…stupid of me…and I felt so sick about it…"

"So…you're telling me that you felt the same way I did…all along?" Tai asked dumbly. Sora nodded, sadly. Before Sora could say anything else he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close and burying his face in her hair, only mumbling. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"No, Tai…I should have told you how I felt…"

"I should have told you first!"

"Well…I have the Crest of Love."

"But I have the Crest of Courage!"

"I was stupid!"

"No, _I _was stupid."

"Well…can't really argue with you there…" Tai chuckled , drawing back to get a good look at her.

"Well…at least we have that in common."

"Yeah…" She leaned in, brushing her lips against his, gently tangling her fingers in his hair. He slid his hands up her waist and around her back, lightly fanning his fingers along her neck, causing an involuntary shiver. When his fingers fell away, Sora felt a gentle weight fall around her neck and the brush of something cool on the nape of her neck. She broke the kiss, looking down at the glistening ruby necklace that now hung around her neck.

"Tai…" She gasped, examining the small pendant. "Is this…what I think it is?"

"Happy Birthday, Sora." Tai started. "I _always _thought…this was the only piece of jewelry that ever looked completely perfect on you."

She smiled softly, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "It's perfect…thank you…you goofy Gogglehead."

Tai laughed, pulling her in. "You been talking to Takato?"

"Yeah…he reminds me a lot of you."

"_They _remind me a lot of us." He said, wrapping his arm around Sora's shoulder.

"OW!! LET ME GO!!"

Tai and Sora turned around to see Rika holding Takato in a headlock while the latter had a vicegrip around the former's waist. "Put me down, you goofy Gogglehead!" Takato paid no attention to her, shifting his weight until her feet came off the ground. She beat against his chest half heartedly, fighting back a smile. "Stupid…knucklehead." was the best she could come up with.

For a moment, Rika and Takato seemed to disappear and a young boy appeared, hoisting his redheaded teammate on his shoulders after a big game, enduring her blows because it ment being close to her.

"I guess so."

* * *

"…so these cops come out of NOWHERE, sirens blaring and badges in the air, saying we violated some code I've never heard of." Ryo said, entertaining the Digidestined with yet another story from his trip through the various backdoors in the Digital World. "Anyway, we tell them to screw off because I was thinking, "Hey, what are they going to do to Cyberdramon?" So we tell them to take their Code 717.5 and shove it up their…well you get the picture."

"So what did they do?" Kari asked.

"Well this _kid _who couldn't be much older than I was just starts charging Cyberdramon like he was going to hit him or something. Well, the funny thing was, _he actually did it!_"

"Really?" Ken blanched.

"But that's not the clincher! Not only did he hit him, _he laid him out! _He totally knocked him back!! Then I see there's this Agumon following him around and then the kid starts glowing orange like he's gonna bust into flames or something so I jump on Cyberdramon and we high tail it out of there before we could see what they hell were going to do to us."

"I really wish you wouldn't tell that story anymore…" Cyberdramon mumbled.

"What, embarrassed that a human managed to beat you?"

"HE CAUGHT ME OFFGUARD!!" Cyberdramon bellowed, flushing red as the others burst into a chorus of laughter.

"Are you quite finished?" Zhuqiaomon asked, tapping a razor sharp talon on the roof in disgust, eyeing Takato and Rika.

"Yeah…I guess we are." Takato said, turning to Sora. "I guess this is where we say goodbye, Sora."

"Takato…" Sora started, before she flung her arms around the young Tamer's shoulders. She mumbled something to him that no one could quite hear but her patted her lightly on the back mumbling something in reply.

"You know," Rika mentioned, turning to Tai. "You handled yourself pretty well last night."

"Yeah…you to." He said, cursing himself for not coming up with something better to say. "Soo…awkward hug or lame handshake?"

Rika coughed, looking embarrassed. "Well…it's better to be awkward than lame soo…"

Tai pulled the younger girl into a friendly hug. "Thank you, Rika. Thank you so much." Rika silently squeezed him a little tighter in recognition of all they had been through.

"Hey!" Sora called over Takato's shoulder. "Get your own Gogglehead!"

"I _have _one but you're currently squeezing him." Rika shot back, a playful glint in her eye. They both pulled away, finding their way back to their own partners while Henry, Ryo and their partners waited behind them, in front of the Sovereigns.

"You guys…" Tai addressed all the Tamers and their Digimon. "You're something else. I really don't know where you came from or why you did, but…we're eternally grateful. You guys really saved our lives."

"Don't mention it." Terriermon said, happily. "We're all Digidestined and we protect our own, even if they're in another world!"

"I just wish…there was some way we could repay you." Sora said.

"How bout you and Tai name your kids after us and we call it even?" Ryo said, laughing at the mortified expressions on their faces.

"Wait!" Rika fished into her pocket, pulling out a camera. "Everybody get together! Digimon down in front…Tai and Sora in the middle..Davis, get next to the newlyweds…"

"Huh?" Tai asked looking over at Davis and the couples he was next to. "Ken and Yolei got married?"

"Err…"

"Everybody say "DIE DEMON SCUM!" One, two, three…"

"DIE DEMON SCUM!" The flash went off and before the light faded, the Sovereigns, the Digimon and the Tamers were gone.

"Well, that's it…" Tai said, softly.

"Yeah…" Sora replied, squeezing his hand. "They're gone…"

"You know…I can't shake the feeling that there was something weird about those kids…"

"Oh Davis, let it go!" Yolei said. "They saved our skin from Demons from Hell! They could be ten feet tall and purple for all I care!"

"Well said, Mrs. Ichijoji." Tai said cheekily.

"Um…Tai…Yolei and I didn't get married."

"What? But Rika said…"

"Um…"

"Wait," Tai craned his neck around to see Kari clinging to a mortified TK. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED WHILE I WAS GONE?!"

"Tai!"

"No, hold on a second, Sora. What exactly does he mean, "Newlyweds?"

"Well…hehe…that's a funny story Tai…you see…" TK scratched the back of his head.

"TK and I got married!" Kari said proudly

"WHAT?! BY WHO?!"

"Beelzemon."

"Kari…now isn't the best time…" TK pleaded, glancing between a fuming Tai and the staircase, wondering if he could make it down before Tai caught him.

"What, do you want to wait for our honeymoon?"

"WHOAH, WHOAH, WHOAH!!" Tai said, straining in Sora's grip. "WHAT HONEYMOON ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING ON?!"

"Oh I don't know…" Kari said. "Hawaii, maybe…stay at the Four Seasons….lounge around in bed all day…eat chocolate off each other's-"

"GAAAAAAGH!! TAAAAAAAKERUUUUUUU!!" Tai bellowed, lunging for TK.

"She didn't mean that, Tai!" TK wailed, backing away from his angered brother in law. "Tell him, sweetie!"

"I was." Kari said, innocently. "We'll probably just pop downstairs, check ourselves into a suite downstairs and have our wedding night there."

TK turned to Kari, fear in his eyes. "Why?" was all he said before scampering across the roof away from Tai's warpath.

"Come here TK." Tai said in his super quiet, angry voice.

"Umm…Sora! Help me!" TK cried.

"Hey, you made your bed now sleep in it…" Sora said, crossing her arms and smirking. "With Kari."

"Sooraa!" TK wailed.

* * *

"You are evil." Takato snaked his arm around Rika's waist, leaning his head against hers as they walked down the familiar streets of downtown Shinjuku illuminated only by streetlamps and the full moon above.

"I couldn't resist" Rika said, leaping up on bench, walking along the edge with Takato's hand as balance. "The look on TK's face was priceless!"

"Poor kid looked like he wanted to jump in after Myotismon rather than deal with his new "brother in-law!" Takato pulled Rika off the bench, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her off the ground a little. Rika smiled evilly, kissing him firmly on the lips.

"You think you can come over tonight?" she asked, ruffling his hair lightly.

"Sure. Mom and Dad are out of town at a food tech expo in Kyoto so I'm sure they won't mind if I sleep over." he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Rika slapped his shoulder. "Don't go throwing your mind into the gutter just yet, Goggleboy. Let's start with a movie…"

"Great! I know just the-"

"Say Digimon the Movie and I _swear _I'll break your pretty little face." Rika snapped.

"But I already have it with me!" Takato said, lamely.

"Oh my God, you actually had that on you the whole time?" Rika rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Kazu returned it before the portal opened and I couldn't run it home, so it's still in my coat." He tugged the sleeves of his coat for effect.

"Ok, that's it; give it here!"

"What? Why?"

"You are a Digimon junkie and _this _is an intervention!" she held out her hand. "Gimme."

"Wait, Rika-"

She didn't wait for a response. Leaning forward in his arms, she tackled him to the ground, deftly opening the zipper of his jacket. "Fine then; we'll do it my way."

"And _my _mind is in the gutter?" Takato grinned, earning a smack from Rika who was fishing around in his pockets."

"Where is it?"

"It should be in that pocket…" Takato trailed off as Rika's fingers poked their was through the bottom of his pocket followed by her whole hand. They both looked at her hand before locking eyes.

"No..."

"You didn't..."

"I did..."

"Uh-oh."

* * *

"HAVE MERCY!!" TK screamed, girlishly as Tai tried to get a hold of his sister's husband.

"Geez, how long have they been at it?" Sora asked Kari.

"About ten minutes now…" Kari muttered.

"Hey guys, look at this!" Tai and TK stopped their chase to see Yolei holding up a plain, white DVD case.

"Where did that come from?" Ken wondered

"Dunno…" Yolei popped the case open, reading the label. "Our War Game…Hurricane Touchdown"

"Is that a movie?" Mimi wondered, holding her head. "I've never heard of it…"

"It must be a double feature…hey, let's watch it!" Sora cried.

"I don't know…" Izzy said doubtfully. "What if it's like a dirty movie or something?"

"Well then TK can pick up some pointers!" Davis chuckled as TK held his flushed face in his hands.

"Okay…" Tai said. "Birthday Girl wins. Let's watch it and _then _I'll kill TK." Tai glared at TK who was trying to hide behind Matt.

* * *

"Ooh…Zhuqiaomon is going to kill us, isn't he?" Takato moaned.

"What's all this "us" stuff?" Rika said. "_You _brought the movie, not _us_. So it stands to reason that Zhuqiaomon will only want to roast, _you_."

"Let's not panic; for all we know, it fell out when Lilithmon grabbed me!" Takato said, hopefully. "It could have been crushed when it fell to the ground! Maybe DVD's don't work in their world!"

"With our luck?" Rika laughed. 'They're probably watching it right now."

* * *

"Okay!" Tai said, sliding in between Sora and Kari on the couch. "Popcorn?"

"Check!" Yolei said, popping a piece in her mouth.

"Soda?"

"Check, oh wise and wonderful Tai." TK said meekly, handing him a soda before cowering behind Kari's shoulder.

"Candy?"

"10-4." Sora passed him the bag of M&M's

"Okay, hit it Izzy!"

…

…

…

"Hey! Everybody knows about Digimon in their world too!" Tai said, snapping his fingers in time to the theme.

"Yay!" Gatomon cried. "Finally we get the screen time we deserve! Four years in this world and _still no Digimon-'"_

"_Shh! The narrator is talking! Hey, she kinda sounds like Kari!" _

…

…

"_Oh sweet! I love anime!" _

…

"_Hey, Tai! That kid with the spiky hair reminds me a lot of…" _

…

"_Wait…"_

"_What?"_

"_Hold on…"_

"_Oh…my…" _

"_No…" _

"_How did they…." _

"_No…" _

"_WHAT?!" _

…

…

…

About two hours later, the final credits rolled up the screen, leaving it blank. Tai and his friends sat in the darkness, no one saying a word. The popcorn, soda and candy had gone untouched and Izzy had actually passed out sometime before the end of the first movie. Tai opened and closed his dry mouth several times, trying to make words come out but for once, his quick wit failed him. He turned to Sora who was staring into space as if she had just been struck by lightning. All thoughts of murdering TK were gone from his mind, replaced by a three word phrase that was almost simultaneously echoed by Sora

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

_AN: And that's the end of the regular story, kids! Stay tuned; i'll have the epilogue up later today or tomorrow at the latest!_


	18. Epilogue: Another Party, Another Fight

_Epilogue_

_Another Party, Another Fight_

"Where did _they _come from?"

"SHH!"

…

…

…

"Is he going to die?"

"Wait and see!"

…

…

…

"Why did he turn into butterflies?"

"Shut up-HEY!"

Takato hit the pause button to the general dismay of the gathered Tamers seated in front of him. From his seat between Rika and Henry on the couch, Takato aimed a kick at the back of Kazu's spiky head.

"Tell the birthday girl to shut up one more time and I'll do to you what I did to Myotismon." Takato growled.

"But she was asking too many quest-OW!" Kenta flinched as Rika connected her foot with his head.

"I just came back from saving these aforementioned Digidestined from being destroyed by Demon Lords." She snarled. "Not only does that earn me, Takato, Ryo and Henry more badass points than both you idiots put together, _it means I can ask any question I want!!" _

"How is that our fault?" Kenta moaned.

"Yeah, you never told us you were going to fight crime with the _real _Digidestined!" Kazu said accusingly. Takato shared an exasperated look with Rika.

"I mean, after all we've been through,"

"And all the times we saved your sorry asses,"

"I mean the least we should get is a cursory call when you're crossing the space-time continuum."

"Hey Kazu, it's Takato!" Kenta mimed talking on the phone, using a whiny little voice.

"Hey Kenta, it's your best friend Rika!" Kazu mimed in a slightly screechy voice

"Umm…listen here, Kazu old pal…" Kenta said, scratching his head.

"We're going on a dangerous mission and we need a Tamer of your courage,"

"Wisdom,"

"Cunning,"

"Brute force,"

"And dashing good-OW" Kazu and Kenta groaned in pain as Rika smashed her new high-tops into their already bruised heads.

"For that entertaining little rendition of Rika and I…" Takato said through clenched teeth before leaning over the back of the couch. "JERI!"

Jeri stuck her head out of the kitchen door. "Yeah?"

"Just cut four slices of cake; Kazu and Kenta don't get any!"

"Man, that's harsh…" Kenta sighed. "What happened to our Chumly?" Kazu made a whip cracking sound, ducking in time to avoid the cold kiss of another roundhouse kick from Takato.

"This is the _last _time you two are coming to one of my parties." Rika said, accepting a piece of cake from Jeri.

"Oh, poor us…" Kenta said sarcastically

"How will we ever survive?"

"I wouldn't be complaining if I were you," Ryo smirked. "I have it on good authority Rika's parties are the only ones you're invited to besides the D&D tournaments you two regularly attend." Rika choked on a strawberry as she unsuccessfully try to hold back a laugh.

"Yeah…well…" Kazu fumbled around, blushing. "At least I'm committed to the stuff I'm geeky about…"

"So I don't know why the scary old dude turned into a thousand butterflies…" Rika murmured offhandedly. "Big deal. I could still beat on both of your sorry asses with one hand tied behind my back!"

"Tough talk!" Kenta said, rolling over on his stomach to face Rika. "You're nothing without Renamon and you know it!"

Rika didn't answer for a moment, staring thoughtfully at the slice of cake in her lap. Takato sat up, looking around her curtain of auburn colored hair to see her reaction. Instead of a look of shock or anger, he saw her lips curve up in an all too familiar evil smirk.

Rika stood up, marching out of the living room and into her kitchen. Henry and Jeri craned their necks to see what she was doing. She reappeared in a few moments carrying the rest of her birthday cake on a platter. Ignoring Henry and Ryo's querying glances and widening her smirk at Takato's knowing smirk.

"Um…Rika…" Kenta said, nervously.

"What are you doing?" Kazu asked, sitting up on the balls of his feet. Rika didn't answer. She silently placed her hand on one half of the cake, lifting it in the air and bringing crashing down on Kenta's head.

"MPH!" Kenta murmured through a mouthful of strawberries and butter cream.

"Oh." Was all Kazu could think to mutter before light, fluffy, sugary doom rained down on his head.

What followed was pure pandemonium. Kazu and Kenta leapt to their feet, rushing to the kitchen to try and get the hunks of cake out of their eyes. But in their rush, they tripped up Rika who fell flat against Takato, smashing her own piece of cake into his face.

"Wait…Takato…" she stammered as Takato picked a strawberry out of his hair, staring at it for a long time before flicking his eyes back up to meet hers.

HE picked up his plate with an evil smirk on his face. "Happy Birthday," he said before smashing his still unfinished cake into her face. She let out a yelp of surprise, glomping him against the couch as Ryo and Henry struggled to get out of the way.

"Whew…that was close." Henry muttered.

"Yeah," Ryo agreed, brushing off his coat. "We almost got cake in the fUMPH!" Ryo was cut off as Jeri snuck up from behind, jamming the last pieces of cake into Henry and Ryo's faces.

Sometime in the ensuing cake fight, Rika threw Takato on the couch causing his elbow to rub against the remote.

"_-he restored all of the beauty that was almost completely destroyed by Malomyotismon. And Oikawa's spirit is still there protecting the Digital World forever…" _The adult TK's voice said from the screen.

"Ugh…" Rika said distastefully pushing Takato off of her. "Is this still on?"

"Yeah…" Takato replied, wiping cake out of his eyes.

"Do we have to watch the epilogue?" Rika asked, shooting a look over her shoulder at Takato. He bit his lip, thinking back to everything that Tai and Sora went through to get to be together; he almost forgot that Sora married Matt in the show.

"Well…it's just a TV show." Takato said as the camera pulled back to reveal an older TK. "It's not like it's the same thing…"

"Yeah." Rika said, decisively.

"Besides," Takato said as TK's son walked in the room. "I could practically rattle off the last few lines of the series myself."

"Really?" Rika asked, pausing the show after TK's son said "_Hey Dad! C'mon already, we have to go!" _

"Prove it." Rika said. "What does TK say next?"

Takato rolled his eyes as if someone just asked him to remember his mother's name. "TK looks back at his son and says, _Right, we don't want to be late!_" Rika cocked an eyebrow, flicking a switch to start the TV on again.

"_Uhh…yeah, just give me a second!" _TK responded, turning back to his computer. "_I'll be down in a minute…" _

"OH!" Rika cried, jumping up and lobbing a strawberry from her hair at Takato's dumbstruck expression. "And you call yourself a fan boy, pshaw!"

"No…no that's not right…" Kazu mumbled, mouth still full of cake.

"Yeah…" Kenta agreed, staring at the frozen screen. "I would have bet my life on that…"

"Hm…" Rika mumbled, thoughtfully, hitting PLAY again.

"_But daaaad!!" TK's son whined. _"_Mom said-" _

"_I Know, I know, I just need to-" _

"_TK? Are you coming?" _Takato throat tightened, almost choking on a piece of cake as a brown haired woman holding a small golden haired girl in her arms came into the room.

"Eh?" Takato squeaked lamely

"_TK, let's go!" Kari demanded, putting her free hand on her hip. "I promised Tai we'd be there at one and he still says that you have-" _

"_I know, I know: suspended sentence of death." TK raised his hands in defense. "Well let's get going, then!" _

"Eh?" Kazu gagged, echoing Takato.

"_Twenty five years have passed and I've become a become a novelist." TK's voiceover said while his family walked along the grassy path, the kids running ahead. "I'm currently working on a set of novels about our adventures in the Digital world."_

"_Masako!" Kari called after her son. "Don't let Keiko wander off! Hold her hand!" _

"_Aww, mom!" Masako moaned. _

"_I got married to Kari a little while ago. She finally realized her dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher." TK's voice spoke again_

"No…way…" Rika forced out, turning to Takato.

"You don't think…" But TK and Kari had come upon the contingent of Digidestined and cries of "Hey!", "What took you guys?!" and "I'm still thinking about killing you, TK!"

"_For a long time, the gates to the Digital World were wide open and everyone knew about Digimon. But there were a lot of problems, so the gates were closed to all but a select few. Despite all that's changed, we still get together as a team every year to celebrate Sora's birthday." _

"EH?!" Henry gulped. "What was that?" But TK pressed on.

"_Dad! I'm going off with Masako!" Joe's son called over his shoulder. _

"_Joe followed his passion and became doctor. He's the busiest out of all of us but he still manages to moonlight as the Digital World's only doctor." TK said._

"_Be careful!" Joe called after him, running a hand through his hair. _

"_See ya later, Dad!" Cody's daughter said, running after Joe's son. _

"_Cody surprised us all and became a defense attorney. He's really made a name for himself by winning almost all of his cases and dramatically yelling "OBJECTION!" any time there's minor inconsistency in the trial." TK's voice commented. _

"_Be back in time for cake!" Cody called. _

"_Mom!" A little lavender haired girl tugged at Yolei's dress as her older brother ran after Masako. "I wanna play too!" _

"_Ken and Yolei are married now. Yolei took over running her parent's store after they retired and Ken works as part of a special police force designed to keep the Digital world from merging into our world." _

"_Okay, keep your brother out of trouble!" Ken said, gently pushing her along. _

"_Later Dad!" Izzy's son called to his father who was desperately fretting over a frozen laptop. _

"_Izzy started his own software company and now runs the most successful antivirus company in the world. Of course, he does have a little help…" TK said cheekily. _

"_MIMI!!" Izzy called as his wife turned from Kari to see Izzy shaking his computer in dismay. Mimi rolled her eyes, taking it from him, punching in a few keys and handing it back to him. _

"_Thanks…" Izzy said sheepishly. _

"_Mimi's the same cheerful, loveable person she always was but a, uh…head injury actually bolstered her intelligence way past Ken or her husband! Yeah, I'm still getting used to it…" TK laughed. _

"Looks like Myotismon did something good for once." Henry said dimly, only to be shhhed by Rika who was watching the TV with rapt attention.

"_I'm going with them, Dad!" A brown haired girl called to Davis who absently waved back. _

"_Davis started his own noodle cart and he seems to really have a flair for business! In less than ten years he went from one cart in Odaiba to an entire franchise that spread as far as the US and Europe! Guess his head wasn't full of fluff after all!" _

"_I'll be back dad!" A blonde haired girl ran after the rest of the kids, waving at Matt. _

"_Matt's band did alright for a while, but they broke up due to "personal problems". He grew really close to Noriko and married her after college! He works as one of Tokyo's top producers, boasting more gold and platinum records than any one in Asia!" _

_Matt's daughter stopped for a second, looking over her shoulder. "Takato, Rika! Hurry up!" _

The sound that came from both Takato and Rika's mouths could be described as somewhere between a squeak and a cat going through jet engine as their jaws nearly hit the floor.

"WHAT?!" They cried in simultaneous astonishment.

"_Hold on a sec!" A brown haired, goggleheaded boy called back to her. _

"_We'll be back!" His redheaded twin nodded at her mother and father. _

"_Don't be long," Tai said, wrapping an arm around Sora's waist. "The food will be ready soon!" _

"_Have fun!" Sora called as her kids and their Digimon raced after the others. _

"_Tai and Sora." TK said. "Those two have been through a lot together but in the end that's only made their commitment to each other all the stronger. Sora actually took gold in the Olympics as part of Japan's women's soccer team. She got hired as a coach for a professional club and her girls have taken the championship six years in a row now! Tai started the first interworld police force, designed to keep the real and Digital World apart. He and Ken found some great kids to take up the mantle of Digidestined while the rest of us are away." _

"_Our adventures in the Digital World may be over, but I know that the forces of Darkness won't rest until both worlds are consumed by shadows. It's going to be up to a new generation of heroes to keep them at bay and honestly, I don't think we'll have anything to worry about!" _

The credits slowly trailed up the screen as the silence in the room became oppressive. Rika, Takato, Henry and Ryo were frozen in shock, blank eyes frozen on the screen and mouths slack. Jeri, Kazu and Kenta looked back and forth between the TV and their friends, not quite knowing what to say.

Finally, Rika found her voice.

"WHAT THE FU-"

* * *

"I don't want to watch Digimon anymore."

Rika and Takato dangled their bare feet off the edge of Rika's porch while their friends cleaned up the mess inside. Rika raised her head from Takato's shoulder, looking intently at her boyfriend.

"Seriously?" Rika asked.

"No…It just got way too real for me…" Takato mumbled darkly.

"Ah." Rika said, "But where will all of your geeky energy go?"

Her head rose as Takato shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. Maybe I'll start watching something else like…Bleach…or Naruto."

Rika's head snapped up. "NO!"

"What?!"

"You're banned from watching anime!"

"Why?"

"Because," Rika insisted. "The last thing you got geeky about turned out to be real. I don't need ninjas and god knows what else in my life."

"So…what will I watch?" Takato asked, leaning back on the deck.

"Coming-of-age teen dramadies." Rika said simply, leaning her head on his chest. "I hope you liked _Juno _because it's either that or John Hughes movies."

"Mm." Takato replied, twirling a strand of her hair.

"Mm." Rika agreed.

They stayed like that for a time, letting the dying rays of the setting sun warm their skin, content in listening to the Rika's steady breathing and Takato's pulsing heart beat. Everything was as it should have been; all was right with the world. And for a fleeting moment, as Takato's mind flashed back to the final fight with Myotismon, he wondered how he had gone from a geeky little Digimon fan to helping his childhood heroes save their world to spending the evening relaxing with someone who truly understood him.

Maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard Sora call his name…in another world maybe she and Tai were lying in the same position, feeling the sun die against their skin.

The shadows grew longer and the weight of the cake in his stomach made Takato very sleepy. Smiling at Rika he pillowed his arm behind his head and enjoyed the end of a very long and tiring day. Finally, he could rest.

_The End _

"TAKATO!!"

Takato jerked his head up as a police siren whirred past Rika's house. He sat up to meet Kazu and Kenta's terrified faces and Rika rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Whuzzhappening?" Rika murmured, looking around groggily. The sun had almost totally set, meaning they had been asleep for several hours at least.

"What's going-" Takato asked but Kazu cut him off by pointing behind him. Takato leaned his head back to come face to inverted face with a man in his late thirties, rubbing the back of his messy brown hair sheepishly.

"Um…" Tai mumbled. "Well…the thing is…"

"Hi, guys!" Sora said from her husband's side.

Takato sat up, exchanging looks with Rika before falling back to look at Tai. "What's wrong?"

* * *

"_And the weather in Tokyo's looking great for the next few days, let's go to Goro in the live chopper 3!" _The perky anchor said, sending the camera over to the helicopter. _"What can you see up there, Goro?" _

"_HOLY HELL!! IT'S A GIANT SEA DRAGON!!" _

"_Sigh…Goro, I thought Dr. Hideki gave you a pill for this kind of thing…" _The anchor sighed.

"_I'M NOT CRAZY!! There's…like…a sea dragon monster in the bay…except he's metal! It's a Metal Sea Dragon Monster!!" _

"_Oh…" _The anchor said, looking at the footage from the camera showing a long, thin eel like dragon snapping at military helicopters. "_Well…um…this just in…Metal Sea Dragons terrorizing Tokyo…again…" _

"_OHMYGOD!!" _Goro bellowed. _"There's a giant robot dragon in the middle of the city!! He just shot down a helicopter with some kind of lazar beam on his back!!" _

"_More stunning developments!" _The anchor said, trying in vain to maintain an air of professionalism. "_It seems there is another dragon attacking from the land! Goro, are the dragons working together to destroy the city or are they fighting each other in a media friendly fashion?" _

"_WHAT DOES IT MATTER?! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!" _

"_I think our viewers have the right to know!" _

"_I DON'T….TOGETHER!! THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER!!" _

"_The news just keeps coming in!" _The anchor stated, accepting a paper from off camera. "_Evidently, one of the puppets from Fun-Fun Toyland has come to life and is wielding a giant hammer in an attempt to crush civilians! Remember, you heard it first on Channel 3!" _

"_SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!!" _The frantic helicopter pilot cried. "_THEY'RE CHARGING THEIR LAZERS!!" _

"_If you're just joining us, there seems to be two dragons, a puppet and NOW and evil sword slinging clown attacking the city!" _

"_THEY'RE FIRING THEIR LAZERS!!" _

"_Truly, truly one of the most Pulitzer Prize worthy stories of our time!" _

"_CALL THE ARMY!! CALL THE NAVY!! GET THE POWER RANGERS IN HERE!!" _

"_Well, right now, we're going to take a quick commercial break-"_

"_GYAHHHHH!!" _

"_And when we return, Goro the newscoptor pilot's last words before being incinerated." _

_KZZT_

Takato flicked the TV off before fixing Tai with an aggravated look.

"I guess…there was another portal left open." Tai mumbled, fidgeting with his fingers. "And...those guys came through..."

Takato sighed, pulling his goggles out of his jacket pocket. "Okay, here's what we're going to do: Jeri, take TK, Kari, Ken, Yolei and Joe and round up Ai, Mako and Suzie. Take Impmon and Lopmon to block off the gate so no one else comes through. Ryo, call Alice and see if she can get over her in time. Then take Matt, Mimi, Izzy, Davis and Cody and try and calm the civilians. Kazu and Kenta will stay here and watch the kids."

"Don't leave us with them!" Rika, Sora's daughter cried, hugging her Koromon to her chest. "Those kids have been acting really weird ever since we arrived!"

"Don't worry," Rika said, leaning down. "There's a water bottle in the sink and you can spray them if they misbehave." Rika giggled at her namesake's joke

"I'm gonna borrow your mom and dad for a bit." Takato said to Takato who was watching him intently as he put his goggles on. "Promise to take care of your sister and friends while we're gone?"

"Sure." Takato mumbled.

"Thanks," Takato said. "Nice goggles by the way."

"Thanks." The younger Takato reached up and touched his goggles.

_(AN: If you have a favorite anime/Video game song you want to play, now's the time to cue it up. Personally, I'm using Mesamero Yasei! But anything with a nice hook will do) _

"Alright…" Takato turned to Tai and Sora. "Ready to do this?"

"I dunno…" Tai said, taking out his digivice.

"It's been a while." Sora agreed, stepping outside into the chaotic night.

"Don't worry about them." Agumon said to Takato. "

"They've become such worrywarts ever since they had the twins!" Biyomon said, earning a glare from Sora and Tai.

"Oh yeah…I was kidding when I told you to name your kids after us…" Rika said.

"We weren't" Sora said softly.

Rika covered up her smile by turning away. "Renamon!" The yellow kitsune materialized by her side, causing an uproar of "ooh's" and "Ahh's" from the kids inside. "Ready to kick some Dark Master ass?"

Renamon smirked. "Always."

"Ok…Guilmon!" Guilmon blundered out of a closet in clear disarray.

"I'm here! Renamon left me alone in the closet and I didn't know what was happening!"

Rika turned to Renamon. "Do I want to know?" Renamon shook her head, blushing a bit.

"Okay…ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Thumbs up!"

"Let's do this!"

"Ready! Set!…"

"EXECUTE!"

"EXECUTE!"

"EXECUTE!"

"EXECUTE!"

_Mezamero! Yasei Afuredashita kanjou_

_Mune ni himeta Gamushara na egao de_

_Sakebigoe wa Whoa woa_

_Shinjitsu dake ni hibiku darou_

_Kokoro moyase Soshite te wo turnabout_

_Yume ni kometa Eien no negai wo_

_Motomeru nara Whoa woa_

_Sagashiteru hikari wa kitto soko ni aru sa'whoa whoa_

_ooh ooh__Mezamero! Yasei_

_THE (Real) END!_

_AN: FINALLY! I'm done! Sorry for taking so long: college is a bitch. Remember kids; uncle Benny says don't go to college! First off, I own nothing. Secondly, I'd like to thank Intel for unintentionally paying me to write this (There was SOOOO much time that I had nothing to do so I ended up writing this! And I got paid! And free soda!) Thirdly, to you, the fans, for sticking with it for this long. I salute you! _

_Peace _

_Love_

_And Rock and Roll_

_DOTMW_

_Is _

_Blasting_

_Off_

_Again_


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